living renegade
by ihadadate
Summary: When Grace was young, she had suffered tragedy when her father had died. Now, fifteen years later, it seems to appear that her father has risen from the dead. He needs her help in saving his skin from a drug lord. Adventure is in store for a young Grace Drake, as she follows the path of her family in order to save her father.
1. prologue: sic parvis magna

**A/N:** Hello! I've been an Uncharted fan for quite a while now. Like, as far back when Drake's Fortune came out. Anyway, a couple months ago after watching something, I got to thinking about this creation, and here we are now! I won't lie, I've had this part done for at least a month, and I was going to write at least this and the next part, but after hitting a block I said "You know what. Publish it." So here I am now!

Part one is not too long, about twenty pages, but it helps ground the story I think. The next part will also be a prologue type of sorts (as in: more backstory before the events of U4) as well. Part one is also in Sam's POV, but the he won't be the only narrator in this story. I hope I did justice to it, as it's also not too hard to put Sam into character here as well lol. Please enjoy this! I've worked hard on it.

* * *

 _SIC PARVIS MAGNA_

Greatness From Small Beginnings . . .

* * *

 **1990**

They had to go on the run. Neither brother particularly enjoyed it, but they had to. There was no way that they could explain the police why they were in that manor, and how that old woman had just dropped dead due to her frail health. There was no way that they would ever believe them.

So, they ran. They were almost caught a few times, but they had managed to escape. He was able to get his brother and himself out, going as far away as possible on his motorcycle. It was only hours ago he was so excited to show off his 500cc twin, telling his brother that he actually bought something for once, taking the kid on it...before they ran off.

They had to get away as far as they could. The authorities would have never believed them, especially since that poor old woman had died when they were still there. If they had gotten caught….oh man, they would have been in big trouble. Samuel Morgan could not afford that. He couldn't do that to Nathan, either. The kid's life would have been shattered. Sam refused to let that happen.

After a long, silent ride of escape, Sam eventually mounted his bike on the side of a river bank, under the bridge. No one was in sight. Good.

"I'd say we're clear. How about we catch our breath for a second. Huh?" Sam broke the silence, as he turned the ignition off. Nathan didn't respond verbally, but he got off the bike, sliding down and walking forward, staring at the lights from across the bay. Sam stayed back, getting off his bike but leaned against it.

"Some night, huh?"

Nathan's voice was quieter than usual. He didn't look back to Sam as he agreed, "Some night."

Sam didn't respond. He was trying to figure out what to say to Nathan, but he couldn't figure it out. Before Sam could try to say something, Nathan spoke up again.

"That old lady. . ." Nathan's voice trailed off, and Sam knew what his brother was thinking and feeling at that moment.

"Hey," Sam stood up. He began walking over towards his younger brother, already wanting to ease his pain away. "Hey, you listen to me, that wasn't our fault back there. I mean, that lady she-she was um...sick."

Nathan peered up to him, and Sam could tell that his brother wasn't convinced. Sam knew he was right, though. It wasn't their fault that she had died in their presence. She was sick, and it was just their luck that they were there when it happened. Sam sighed.

"I mean, it's okay to feel bad but there was nothing we could do about it," Sam told his younger brother, bumping him lightly in the shoulder. A sign of comfort. Nathan still looked crestfallen, and Sam found himself turning in his spot, trying to decide what to do next.

"So what are we going to do now?" Nathan asked. "I can't go back to the orphanage. You can't go back to your job."

Sam could feel the corner of his lips begin to twitch, as he had an answer.

"Then we don't."

Nathan scoffed. "Sure."

"No, I'm serious," Sam said, looking down to his brother. Sam could feel his voice growing stronger. "We get far away from this place as we possibly can." Sam had begun walking back to his bike at this point, leaving Nathan where he stood.

"Yeah? And how long until the cops find us?" Nathan asked. He couldn't believe Sam, not right now.

"Oh, I think they'll be looking for Nathan and Samuel Morgan," Sam began.

"Yeah, that's us," Nathan agreed.

Sam could feel the smile on his face. "What if it wasn't?"

That had Nathan turning his head to stare at Sam. Sam couldn't help but feel satisfied by this. He got his brother's attention. Excellent.

"Nathan-back at that mansion, you knew just as much about that stuff as that poor old lady," Sam pointed out, literally as he gestured to direction where they had just came from. He began to walk back to Nathan.

"Here," Sam stopped a few inches away from Nathan, shrugging off his book bag and unzipping it. "I always felt that we were destined for something great."

Nathan watched his brother from where he stood. Sam had knelt down to the ground by this point, rummaging through his bookbag for something. Nathan's widen as he saw what Sam had pulled out.

"But until tonight…I didn't know what that meant," Sam had confessed, as he held out their mother's journal to Nathan. "But this...mom's unfinished work...this is our chance to restart our lives. With brand new identities."

Nathan's eyebrows furrowed, his eyes narrowing. "What are you talking about?"

Sam shrugged. "I know some guys. Pretty good at forging papers, too." Sam didn't wait for Nathan's response, as he began to flip through their mother's journal. "Now as for our new name...Mom believed that Sir Francis Drake had heirs," he looked back to Nathan. "Who's to say he didn't?"

Sam watched Nathan's expression change from disbelief to astonishment.

"You're serious, aren't you." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"Nathan, we were meant for this," Sam said. "And I promise: you and me, together? We're gonna go far." He stopped for a second to let Nathan soak in his words. "So what do you say...Nathan Drake?"

Sam held out his hand for Nathan. For a moment, Nathan said nothing, letting his face explain what he was feeling. Finally, he grinned. Just what Sam was hoping for.

"I'm in."

* * *

It was somewhat of a challenge for the first months after Sam and Nate became Drakes. Sam had found a new goal in life: to honor his mother's legacy; to finish it. However, his number one priority was to support and take care of his younger brother.

Nathan was able to ease into his new life, although there were bumps along away. Sam had to teach him a few tricks of the trade; pickpocketing was one of them. Now, Nathan did have a talent in swiping things, but his conscious would get the better of him. Some days were better than others, when the guilt would eat him up.

Sam couldn't help but sigh. He knew Nathan was much brighter since leaving St. Francis, and while Sam knew that they were destined for something great, Nathan had a lot to learn about this life. Hell, Sam had a lot to learn, too. Especially when it came to his mother's work. He had a knack in history, sure, but he was nowhere near his mother's work. Nathan was, however. That was a good thing. Sam could live with being in operation while Nathan was the brains behind it. The kid was smart, and Sam would gloat to anyone that listened.

While Nathan was the brains of many of their odd jobs or activities, there have been a few busts. Their semi-foolery was no exception.

They were new to this town, coming in about a week before. It was summer, and there was a fair. Sam decided that it was worth to have fun and splurge once in awhile, so he decided to take Nathan out. No thievery...well, Sam kind of broke that rule. He was sitting down at a table with Nathan, who was stuffing his face; going to town like there was no tomorrow. Sam had glanced away for just one moment-one moment that would change his life.

She was shorter than the rest of her friends, although not by much. She was perhaps 5'3 or 5'4, with dark hair, a round face, and just beautiful. She was wearing shorts and a loose, flowy, but nice tank top. Her dark hair was pinned back...Sam had no words. He _had_ to talk to her, but how? It took him less than a second to come up with a plan. He grinned.

"Hey, Nathan," Sam said. Nathan looked up, an eyebrow rose.

"See that girl over there?" Sam discreetly pointed out the girl over Nathan's shoulder. Nathan glanced briefly behind him before looking back to Sam.

"Yeah?"

"Watch this," Sam told him as he stood. He exhaled, feeling mischievous yet nervous at the same time. _Relax, you got this. You're Samuel Drake._

Sam ignored how tense he was as he made his way over. Her back was turned to him, so she couldn't see him. Some of her friends had congregated ahead of her, and didn't notice him either. Good.

Sam was so close to her now, almost towering over her. Carefully, he reached out to her, his hand hovering over her purse. Easy does it-

Sam jolted as he felt his wrist being grabbed and turned upwards. He looked down, seeing the girl glare up at him. It briefly made Same think of Nathan. It was a cute-kind of mad. Sam grinned. "Hey…"

"Who do you think you are?" she asked, thrusting his hand away from her.

"Samuel Mor-Drake. Samuel Drake," Sam answered. "You?"

"Not interested," the girl replied.

"Oh, come on," Sam whined. "I saw you and I just wanted to say hi."

"'Wanted to say hi'?" the girl repeated. "By stealing?"

The more she spoke, the more Sam felt sheepish...and stupid. He rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah?" his voice rose an octave. "I mean, I wasn't going to _steal_...I was going to give it back?"

The girl's facade seemed to break. Her stony glare broke into small laughter. Sam felt elated, but confused.

"You have a funny way of getting a girl's attention, don't you?"

Sam couldn't help but break out into a grin and chuckle of his own.

"Yeah. And your grip is pretty strong, by the way."

The girl took pride in that. "Thank you. Took years of practice. I have a sixth sense, you know."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I know...but I wasn't really trying."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I-"

"Diana! Let's go!"

Sam looked on to the girl's group of friends as she too glanced at them, before turning back to look at him.

"Looks like you should go," Sam said, feeling disheartened at the thought. Diana, however, gave him a smile.

"Yeah, but you don't want me to, do you?"

"Not really, but I don't think you'd want to hang out with me and my kid brother," Sam found himself saying, surprised that he even admitted this to her. It was true, he knew that there was no way that this girl would want to-

"You mean that kid staring at us?" Diana asked, nodding her head towards Nathan's direction. Sam found himself turning just enough to see that she was right. Nathan was staring, watching them. He had probably watched them the entire time. Damn it. Sam turned back to Diana.

"Yeah, that's him."

Diana had opened her mouth to speak, but her friends yelled for again.

"Diana! Come on!"

Diana gave Sam a look that almost made him want to melt. God, why was he feeling like this? No one had ever-

"Go on without me!" Diana shouted to her group of friends. "I'll catch up with you later!"

"Are you sure?" a different friend asked,

"Yes! Now go!"

"Alright, see you later!" one of the girls shrugged as she and the rest of the group waved bye, which Diana reciprocated, before turning back to Sam who couldn't help but feel stunned. His ears had also perked up as his facial expression changed. This girl was…

"I'm Diana, if you haven't heard. Diana Davenport."

"I'm Sam Drake," Sam found himself saying.

Diana grinned. "I know."

Sam felt his face burn, as he found himself mentally cringing.

"Right," he said. "I forgot."

"It's okay," Diana assured. "Your brother's looking a little impatient. Maybe we should...go over there?"

"Yeah, okay," Sam nodded, getting out of her path and allowed her to go ahead in front of him. "Ladies first."

"Thank you, kind sir," Diana played along, pretending to curtsey before walking ahead with Sam following, who eventually at her side walking along with her. By this time Nathan had ran up to them. He was probably tired on waiting.

"Hi," Diana greeted him. "I'm Diana, you must be Sam's brother?"

"I'm Nathan, his _cute_ little brother," Nathan replied with a rather mischievous look in his eyes. "I saw you yell at him. He deserved it, his technique was so sloppy-"

"Nathan!" Sam scolded, wanting to throttle his younger brother. Diana only laughed.

"I didn't yell at him. I just...told him off," Diana said, unable to contain her laughter or smile. Sam thought she had a beautiful smile, compared to his own, very crooked teeth. He still couldn't help but feel clammy, and-

"Sam?"

Sam returned to reality, finally taking notice that Nathan and Diana were staring at him.

"Yeah?"

"Let's go walk around!" Nathan exclaimed before jetting off. He wanted to give the older teens some alone time, and Diana had said she would get him tickets and more food. Nathan had liked her instantly. She was way cooler than Crystal, Sam's last girlfriend.

"Nathan!" Sam yelled after his brother. He was about to run after Nathan, but Diana had wrapped one of her hands around his bicep.

"He'll be fine. We'll follow him. Look, he's waiting for us ahead, see?" Diana pointed Nathan out, who waved and gestured for them to follow.

"Well, let's not keep him waiting."

* * *

Sam and Diana lagged behind Nathan, getting to know each other.

"So, are you new to town? I've never seen you around before."

"Yeah, me and my brother arrived a few days ago."

Diana nodded. "I see. Is it just you two?"

Sam nodded. "Yep. It's been the two of us for awhile now. Mom died and dad bailed not too long after."

"O-Oh," Diana stammered, as an awkward silence filled the space between them.

"Ah, don't worry about it," Sam assured her. "It happened years ago."

"If you say so," Diana said, still feeling unsure.

"What about your family?" Sam asked. He could see that had darkened her mood a bit. Sam couldn't help but grimace, she must not-

"I have two older parents, and an older sister and brother," Diana answered with coolness.

"So you're the baby of the family, I would not have pegged you as that," Sam said. A smile, a laughter even, flickered in her expression, but it disappeared quickly. Sam gulped. Now he felt like an asshole.

"Not many people do," Diana eventually agreed. "Enough about them. How do you like it here so far?"

Sam and Diana had really kicked it off that night. They couldn't stop sharing what must have been everything with each other, and for once Sam felt...well, happy. A different kind of happy, something he had never felt before.

* * *

Sam had met Diana again soon after the fair. It was rather ironic.

Sam was still doing the same work he had done before he became Drake. Thieving, and his client wanted him to take something big-Sam couldn't pass it up.

When Sam arrived at the location, he couldn't help but feel awe. The place was grand! Not quite like Evelyn's-but it was nice. With perfect pickings, no doubt.

Sam went in, pretty stealthy too. It was dark and no sign of life was around. Jackpot.

Sam went around the house, exploring a bit. While Sam peeked around, his heartstrings tugging a bit. This house was so empty, so vacant, yet there were signs of life-

There was a clock and the lights came on. Sam cringed, cursing under his breath and turning around to face who caught him. To his complete and utter surprise, it was Diana. She stood in the doorway, right hand on the lamp, and not looking very pleased. Sam couldn't blame her.

"Um. Hey…" Sam greeted sheepishly.

"Not stealing from me, are you Sam?" Diana quipped.

Sam faltered. "Uh...no?"

"Then why are you in my house?"

Sam didn't speak for a minute, debating on what he could say.

"I'm...here to pick something up for a client?"

"Oh my God," Diana groaned, her left hand reaching up to massage her temple. Her right hand had yet to leave the lamp.

"I am!" Sam insisted, his hands still up in the air. "He wanted me to...wait, you live here?"

"Yeah," Diana responded with sarcasm laced in her tone.

"Wow. Nice house!"

"Thank you, but you still haven't answered my-you're stealing something pricey from my dad, aren't you?" Diana realized.

"Yup," Sam confirmed. Diana found herself relaxing.

"Oh, well in that case," she began, lifting her hand off the lamp. "Go ahead."

Sam was perplexed. Go ahead?

"Go ahead?" Sam repeated. "I-what-wait, were you going to hit me with that?"

"Yeah, figured I could nick you in the neck," Diana shrugged. Sam wasn't sure what to say or how to respond to that. She had honestly considered knocking him with a lamp.

"What are you stealing?" Diana asked.

"Something pricey," Sam answered, repeating her words from earlier. He was still standing in the same spot where Diana had caught him, but by now his arms were down, stuffed in his jacket pockets. Diana rolled her eyes.

"I know that, but what is it?"

"I don't know if I should tell you. You gonna rat me out?"

Diana's eyes widen. "What? No! Maybe I could help you…"

Sam scoffed. It was a sweet gesture, but no.

"No way. Why would you help me?"

"Because I like you and dislike my father?" Diana tried. Sam's mind briefly flashed back to a week ago, remembering their conversations about their families. Sam remembered how...eerie it felt when he was in the manor. There were signs of life but it felt lifeless, and it wasn't because he had broken in. Eventually, Sam simply shrugged and said, "Okay."

"Okay?" Diana repeated.

"Okay, you can help."

Sam told her what he needed. At least, what his client had told him. Lucky for him, Diana knew what he was talking about.

"My father was boasting about it for weeks," Diana explained as she shuffled around.

"What does your father do, exactly?" Sam asked.

"He's...he's well...mafia work," Diana answered, not looking at Sam.

"Like... _Godfather_ mafia?"

"Eh...I don't really know. He's a mysterious guy by all means-aha!"

Diana had paused in her answer, sounding triumphant as she held up what Sam needed. "Looking for this?"

"Hell yeah," Sam grinned, taking it from her hold. He examined it. "Wow. Thanks a lot, Diana. Really, you helped me out on this. The guy who wants this is pretty dangerous from what I've heard."

"Who is it?" Diana asked.

"Some mobster guy. Can't pronounce his last name."

"I see," Diana said as she stood, wiping her hands on her jeans. "So...how are you getting out?"

Sam blinked. "Um, I don't know. Haven't thought about-"

"Diana!" a voice yelled out for said teenager, as a door slammed from downstairs. Sam and Diana shared panicked looks with each other.

"Shit," Diana swore, yanking Sam by the hand and exiting the room, but not before turning the lights off and shutting the door. Diana began to drag Sam off to somewhere.

"Diana-" Sam began in a hushed tone, but Diana shushed him, pulling him into a room and letting go of him. Sam took a quick glance around and realized that they must be in her room.

"Wha-" Sam started, but stopped when Diana pushed up a desk chair and forced him to sit in it, with his book bag to the side. She handed him a random textbook as she sat down on the floor, back pressed against the bed as her knees rose to chest, with study materials strewn around her and balanced on her knees.

"So, Cortez came to the Americas in 15-"

"Diana! We-oh, you have a friend here."

Sam had jumped at the sound of the voice, but turned just enough to see who it was. The woman seemed young and looked a lot like Diana.

"Sorry mom," Diana apologized, and Sam couldn't help but think: that's her mom? She must age well. "We got focused, guess we couldn't here you. This is Sam Drake, one of my classmates. Sam, this is my mother."

Sam offered a tight lipped smile and curt wave. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was scared as hell in that moment.

"Hi," Sam said. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you, too," Diana's mother replied, but didn't mean it. It was curt-too curt. She looked at her daughter. "Diana, you didn't tell me you were having...a guest over."

Boy. Street rat. Sam knew he looked like one.

"It wasn't planned," Diana answered, and Sam almost snorted. "I got stuck with this, and Sam is an expert with history-Spanish, to be more precise-so I called him and he ended up coming over. At least I left the door open, right?"

"If you say so," her mother sounded airy, and Sam decided he didn't like her. "Tell us, next time. In fact, he should have dinner with us soon. I'm sure your father would want to meet him."

With no more to say, Diana's mother left them be. Sam let out a breath he didn't even realized that he had held in. He let out a nervous chuckle.

"Wow, she's scary," Sam joked. Diana didn't respond. She was still staring out of her doorway, an unreadable expression etched upon her face.

"Diana?" No response. Sam snapped his fingers in front of her. "Diana."

Diana flinched but her attention snapped back to him.

"I am so sorry," Diana apologized, almost too quickly. "I panicked and I didn't know what else to say-God, I must sound like an idiot."

"Hey, it's okay. I mean, I did break in here after all," Sam joked. Grace shot him a glare.

"That's not funny," she said.

"Sorry," Sam apologized, before glancing quickly at her study materials, including the book she had hastily shoved into his lap. "So, what are you doing, anyway?"

"Summer work. It's for one of my classes this upcoming year."

"You still in school?" Sam asked.

Diana nodded. "Yup. I'll be a senior this year. All honors and AP courses."

Sam nodded, pretending to understand what she was talking about. "Cool. So...what are you doing now?"

Diana found herself scratching her head as she replied. "Well, I'm supposed to cover about...the early beginnings of the Americas to make a long story short. So like, you know. Spanish explorers and all that."

Sam found himself perking up at this. "Do you like it? History?"

Diana found herself nodding. "It's not my favorite, but yeah. I find it very interesting."

Sam found himself grinning. "Can I help?"

Diana looked up from her paper to stare at him, almost dumbfounded. "What?"

"Can I help you with this?" Sam repeated. "I mean, I'm sure you can do this all on your own, but I enjoy this stuff so…" Sam trailed off, not knowing what to say and feeling sheepish at this point. First, he had came to this house to steal something, just to run into the cute girl he met last week and now he was wanting to do _homework_ with her?

"Um...if you want to, I guess."

Sam was never much of an academic person but for Diana, he did as much as he could. He offered so much information, and often went off in tangents which he would not realize until he would see that Diana was staring at him, smiling.

"You're cute when you get all passionate."

Sam couldn't help but heat up when she said that. No one had told him that before.

"Thanks," Sam chuckled, a hand reaching behind him to scratch his neck. "I'm kind of an expert at this stuff. My mom was a historian, so growing up we would just talk about…well, you know."

There was a different tone in Sam's voice when he mentioned his mother. Diana noticed, but did not comment on it.

"Well, if I'm hearing it correctly, it sounds like she was a brilliant woman."

Sam smiled softly. "Yeah, she was."

* * *

It was almost three-thirty in the morning before Sam decided that he should probably go.

Sam and Diana were long past done with whatever Diana had to get done, so they had talked for hours. Again. It was nice.

Sam had snuck out of Diana's window (no one bothered to come check on them again for the rest of the night after Diana's mother), but not before asking Diana out. Well, he stuttered more than asking, but Diana just gave him a sweet smile and nodded.

"Of course I'd like to go out with you, Sam. Do you want my number?"

"I-uh-yes, I would like your number," Sam nodded. "I was thinking maybe sometime next week?"

"That's fine with me," Diana answered, as she slipped him a small piece of paper with her number on it. "Don't lose it, because then that means you would have to break into my house again."

Sam's face flamed up again, as if he was embarrassed. He felt like it. "Oh, har-har. Very funny, Diana."

"I'm only teasing you. I wouldn't mind meeting like this again, you know."

Sam felt like he was on fire. Even more so.

"Me too. I should get going, though. Good night, Diana."

"Good night, Sam," Diana said. Then she did something that shocked Sam. She had kissed him on the cheek.

Even after leaving her room and was far away from her house by this point, Sam was caressing the spot on his cheek where she had planted that kiss.

Oh, he had it _bad_.

* * *

Their date actually happened less than a week after that interaction. Sam had found the free time so he had called up Diana, asking for her to hang out. She said yes.

Sam, like the gentleman he was, had gone to her house to pick her up. He decided that he would meet her the proper way this time, and knocked on the door. An older man answered.

"Hello," the old man greeted. Sam was sure that this man was the butler or something like that.

"Hi, is Diana here? I'm here to pick her up."

The old man raised an eyebrow, as he inspected Sam. It was hard for Sam to tell what the old man was thinking.

"You're here to take Diana out?" the old man assumed, looking around Sam's head and eying his bike.

"Yep."

"You won't take advantage of that girl, will you?"

Sam's eyes almost popped out of his sockets. "What? No! I would never do that!"

"Charlie, stop," Diana ordered, rolling her eyes as she kissed the old man on the cheek. "I promise, even if he did try something, I would break his hand."

The old man chuckled, and even Sam couldn't help but do the same. It wasn't that he didn't believe that she would because after all, she had considered smashing a lamp into his head. It was somewhat hard to believe that Diana could be violent, giving the fact that she was probably at least a good foot shorter than him.

"Of course, Diana. Have fun, your parents would expect you home around dinner time. There are some...special guests coming over tonight."

Diana groaned. "Which means I'll probably come home late. Bye, Charlie, I'll see you later. Come on Sam, let's go!"

Diana had grabbed hold of his hand, dragging him off to his bike, but not before turning back to wave at Charlie, who reciprocated before shutting the door, whistling to himself.

"So...is that your dad?" Sam asked.

Diana snorted. "I wish."

"Oh," Sam said.

Diana sighed, knowing she should explain. "He's pretty much the only one who offers me emotional support in that household. That, and my nanny."

"You had a nanny?"

"Until I was about...eleven? I think. I keep in touch with her, but she had to leave. My brother was the other one who was there for me but…" Diana suddenly faltered, and Sam assumed the worst had happened to said brother. He wouldn't ask. She would tell him when she was ready.

"It's okay, I think I get it," Sam told her. Diana looked up at him with a small, faint trace of a smile.

"Thank you, Sam. Now, come on. Let's go do something!"

* * *

Their first date was a blast. Neither teen could not remember having that much fun in a long time. The next time they hung out, Diana had told him she had gotten into a lot of trouble for skipping over that dinner, but to her it was worth it.

Sam and Diana went on a few more dates, some of them with Diana staying out late albeit having school in the next couple hours. To her, it was worth it. Sam made life...well, not bleak for her. Nathan, too. Sam was both, in dismay and joy about that. Sam was happy that Diana and Nathan got along great, but Sam was also tired of the two ganging up on him and tease him...and he may or may not have been just a little jealous of Nathan getting Diana's attention as well.

However, Diana made it up to him by kissing him.

Sam had been sullen on one of their dates, and it was for more reasons than his childish jealousy on his kid brother. Some of his jobs had been a hit and miss, and he had just been feeling down a little more lately. Diana had noticed, and they went somewhere private to talk about it.

This was one of the many things that Sam liked (and later, love) about Diana. She was quick to spy an issue and was quick to try to help. Not to mention that she was kind to practically everyone she met, and she was just amazing.

"You have nothing to worry about, Sam," Diana had promised him. "I promise, you have nothing to worry about, especially when it comes to Nathan. I like you and...if you need help, I'll be there."

Sam's heart fluttered and God, was he about to have a stroke?

Before Sam could register what was happening, he felt a soft pair of lips and then kissing. He was kissing Diana Davenport. Technically, Diana had kissed him first but did that matter? No. They were kissing!

Then Diana pulled away, face red and she looked just as scared as Sam had felt moments ago.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry, Sam, I should have asked-"

Sam didn't let her finish, as he pulled her back in for another kiss. She had felt tense, but quickly she relaxed. Sam couldn't help but smile in their kiss. Again, Diana pulled away.

"Wow," Sam breathed heavily.

"I know," Diana agreed.

* * *

After a month or so of them being "official", Mr. and Mrs. Davenport had found out. Neither parent was pleased, but they informed Diana that they must meet Sam so therefore she must bring him over. Diana didn't want to, knowing how it would go, but Sam insisted that he should meet the Davenports.

Until he realized he had to dress up.

A few hours before, Nathan found Sam freaking the fuck out, saying something along the lines of "not having anything nice to wear."

"Sam, chill out. Diana likes you a lot, I don't think she would care," Nathan pointed out.

"Nathan, I'm meeting her _parents_."

That was when Nathan realized how serious all of this was to his older brother.

"Shit," Nathan swore.

"I know, and I-" there was a knock at the door. The two brothers shared a look before Nathan had gone to answer.

"Is this where Samuel Drake lives?"

Sam recognized the voice. It was Charlie, the butler-slash-Diana's-father-figure. Sam and Charlie had talked quite a few times since they met, and it was nice to know that Charlie did like him, albeit his concern for Diana. Sam couldn't blame him on that, he knew he had gained a reputation in the town already.

"Charlie! How's it going?" Sam came up behind Nathan, who almost jumped at his older brother's presence.

"I'm doing fine, thank you. Diana informed me that you would be meeting her parents and well..." Charlie thrusted a box outwards towards Sam, who took it. "Diana had a feeling that you would need something to wear."

Dear God, that girl really did know everything.

"Yeah, uh..."

"He's been freaking out," Nathan offered the older man. Charlie grinned at the younger Drake.

"You must be Nathan," Charlie recognized the boy from Diana's descriptions. "Tell me, how bad has he been?"

"He's in love."

"I am not!" Sam fired immediately, then he backtracked. Why did Nathan have to do this to him? And right in front of the old man? The old man that Diana saw as her father figure, who no doubt saw her as a daughter? Was Nathan trying to get him killed? "I mean, uh...I really, really like her, sir."

Charlie looked at Sam, and he could tell that the boy really had it bad for Diana. He and Nathan shared an amused look with each other.

"I'll leave you to it, then. Remember: six o'clock. Although, you might want to be there a little earlier."

"Alright. Thank you so much, Charlie. I appreciate it, really."

* * *

Sam was late by about ten minutes. It wasn't intentional, as he got stuck in traffic, but he still felt judged as he entered the house. Diana gave him a kiss on the cheek to reassure him, before he handed her flowers. Diana was genuinely surprised, and was even more so when he gave a bouquet to her mother as well.

"You're very sweet," Diana whispered to him, as they walked to the dining area. Sam and Diana sat next to each other, as Mr. and Mrs. Davenport sat on opposite ends of the table. Diana's sister and her husband, who Mr. and Mrs. Davenport invited as well, were seated across from the teenagers. Sam felt even more nervous than before, but slowly eased as he felt Diana grab a hold of his hand.

Dinner was somewhat of a quiet affair. The Davenports did not speak much, and whether that was on purpose or not Sam did not know. However, Diana's parents did ask him questions.

"Who are you?" Mr. Davenport had asked, and Sam knew that Diana must have been rolling her eyes at her father's question. She had introduced them as soon as Sam had entered the house.

"Samuel Drake, sir," Sam answered.

"Where you are from?" Mr. Davenport asked again. His eyes were glued onto Sam like a predator watching its prey.

"Boston, sir," Sam said.

The adults looked rather intrigued by his answer.

"Boston? Really?" Mrs. Davenport questioned. "Diana didn't tell us that."

"You never asked," Diana pointed out. She looked moody, Sam noted.

"What made you decide to come here?" Mrs. Davenport asked him.

Sam had to think about it, deciding he needed to be careful with his response.

"Well...my brother and I decided that we needed a new start," Sam began. "We're orphans, you see. Our mother died when I was ten, and from then on it was just me and my brother." Sam didn't even bother to mention his father.

"What about your father?" Mr. Davenport asked. Sam almost groaned.

"He, uh...he...left us," Sam began. "He surrendered his custody of us to the state after our mother died."

Sam felt Diana grab ahold of him again. A small, brief smile flickered on his face. Diana knew it was difficult for Sam to talk about his parents, about his situation.

"Oh, that's terrible," Diana's sister spoke up. "I'm so sorry."

Sam waved it off. "Nah, it's fine. It happened a long time ago."

"How do you live?" Mr. Davenport asked.

"I take on jobs to help support my brother," Sam said.

"What kind?"

"Hands on kind," Sam answered. "Movement, shipment, all that."

"I see," Mr. Davenport nodded, clearly not interested in Sam at all. Sam knew how these type of people were: they were wealthy rich folks while he was a street rat. He wasn't going to be good enough for Diana. Not now, not ever.

"He's really good at what he does," Diana spoke up. "For what he does, he does well and because of that, his brother is getting the best support he possibly could."

Sam and Diana shared a brief look with each other. Diana was not going to let anyone think of Sam as less.

"How do you two have the time to hang out? Where did you meet?" Diana's sister's husband inquired.

Both teens didn't know what to say. Sam had not thought about that, but apparently Diana did.

"We met at the fair. I had tripped, but luckily Sam was there to catch me," Diana said. "And we hang out whenever we have the time. His brother is with us sometimes, which I do not mind at all. I love that kid. Nathan's a very sweet boy."

Diana Davenport was on the top of Sam's favorite people list. She was funny, intelligent, cute, and liked both him _and_ Nathan?

That's when Sam knew that he was absolutely fucked. He found himself not minding that one bit.


	2. prologue, part ii: before the storm

**A/N:** First, let me apologize for _such_ a late update! So much had happened such as school, family, lack of motivation, frustration for being stuck at some places, and trying to decide how to exactly go out with this. I had originally thought of having the prologue in three parts but decided to go about it like this instead. I hope you all enjoy it! Beware, there's time jumps and sadness in this chapter. I mean it, I cried quite a few times as I wrote this! (Which also probably contributed into a long delay! lol.)

* * *

Sam realized even further on just how fucked he was about Diana when she had left with him and Nathan.

Diana's homelife was awful, Sam had learned very quickly. He knew that Diana was the youngest with an older sister, but apparently she had an older brother as well. His name was Danny, and Diana both liked and disliked talking about him. Sam had learned not to ask too many questions about Danny, but he did know a little bit about the older man. Danny had been the somewhat rebel of the family (like Diana, Sam thought) and had died at an early age. He was sick, Diana had mentioned, but she did not offer any more information. It must have been bad. After all, if Sam had lost Nathan...Sam knew he would be heartbroken, so he never pushed the topic. He didn't want to reopen raw wounds.

However, Sam was able to connect the dots. Danny's death one of the factors on why Diana felt so isolated in her home; she and her parents never saw eye to eye, and they were neglectful with her. Her sister was distant with her as well. Sam knew that Diana's family life sucked (he could relate; after all his dad sucked too.), and even when she tried to persuade him otherwise, Sam couldn't handle it any longer. Especially after Nathan ran into Diana who was in tears and hand pressing against a bright red mark on cheek. Sam was livid. To him, that was the final straw.

Nathan had kept Diana company while Sam snuck back into Diana's house, up to her bedroom directly (it turns out, her window was how she escaped). Quietly and swiftly, Sam found a travel bag and began to pack important and essential items for Diana. He was zipping up the bag when someone walked in the room.

"What are you doing here!?" Mrs. Davenport had shrieked.

"Diana's not coming back," Sam told her rather curtly, not looking at her.

"Excuse me?" Mrs. Davenport sounded dumbfounded and angry.

"You heard me: Diana's not coming back. I'm tired of your family and how you treat her. She's staying with me."

Mrs. Davenport scoffed. "Diana's certainly not dumb enough to run off with a street rat and his parasite little brother."

Sam would bet that there was fire in his eyes. He's trying to be civil, but Diana was right when she told him that her parents were not...nice people. Sam wanted to argue with Mrs. Davenport. He wanted to tell her just how ignorant she truly was, but he thought better of it. She wouldn't listen.

"You know what? You're not worth my time," Sam stated simply, adjusting the strap of the bag onto his shoulder. He swiftly climbed out the window. "By the way, you suck."

Sam was quick enough to climb down and running off. It had taken him probably less than an hour in leaving his apartment and coming back. As Sam opened the door to his home, he could hear Nathan telling Diana stories about their childhood. As Sam stepped closer he could see just how entertained Diana was, smiling wide and laughing at the right parts.

She was going to be just fine with them.

At first Sam was worried—wary, even—about Diana running off with him and Nathan. Sam just wasn't sure if Diana could live the life they did, but the girl had proved him wrong. Again. While she was gentle and kind, she was also hardened and had a heart of courage. She was smart; helping in any way that she possibly could. She could wrap anyone under her finger and wasn't afraid to use that to her advantage.

It was closer to a year when Sam, Diana, and Nathan found themselves in Colombia. By this point, Sam and Nathan had told Diana what they truly wanted to do. Sam had admitted to practically everything, which included his old life and what he and Nathan planned to do now. Sam was petrified in telling her the truth, but she deserved to know. He was afraid that Diana would be furious but Diana; faithful Diana, accepted it all. Sam was so confused as to why; shouldn't she be mad at him?

No, of course she wouldn't. Diana pointed out that she didn't expect him to spill his life story to her when they had first met. By telling her now, before they had run off together, meant that he trusted her. Sam knew she was right, and that just made him love Diana more.

* * *

Sam wasn't sure how he felt seeing Diana chatting with Victor Sullivan when he finally got out of that Colombian jail.

Nathan had explained to Sam that he had gotten into a bit of trouble while Sam was in jail and Diana was completing a side job. Victor Sullivan had saved his tail and as a result, the older man began teaching Nathan a few tricks of the trade. Sam didn't like it. Why did this older man want to help Nathan? To take advantage of him? Not on Sam's watch.

Diana had felt the same way at first. She was kind to Victor but was also cautious of him. She didn't trust too many people named Victor to begin with, but Sully had proved worthy of himself in the time she got to know him. So, often, Diana found herself talking to Sully when she couldn't talk to Sam or Nathan. In conclusion, while Sam and Sully were not the best of friends, they had a form of mutual respect. They both cared for Diana and Nathan in their own ways.

In fact, Sully was the first to know of Diana's...surprise.

It had been a few years since meeting the old man in Colombia. He had become somewhat of an ally, and somewhat of a thorn to Sam's side. To Diana, it was amusing. Sully had grown to her after all those years. In a way, he reminded her of Charlie.

It was one day where Sam and Nathan were on a job, and Diana had to stay back. She had begun getting very sick. Sam was worried for her, but he knew he had to get the job done. He didn't want to leave her by herself, especially since he wasn't sure how long he was going to be gone, but Sully had offered to stay with her.

Sully appeared to be a crass man but deep down he was very sweet, even if he did not show it. He had basically waited on Diana hand and foot, getting her whatever she needed.

The thought did not hit him until much later. Diana had been sick quite often in the morning, and she was one to never get sick. There were other signs too, signs that he noticed in other women who were….

"Are you pregnant?"

Diana had almost dropped her cup of tea when Sully had asked her that question. She could feel her skin blush, feeling embarrassed by his question.

"Kid, you're an adult. Even after I met Sam, I knew you two were doing it," Sully tried to...was he trying to tell her it was okay that she and Sam had sex? Oh, that was so embarrassing. Diana had buried her face in her hands and almost cried. Sully went rigid.

"Diana, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you...upset or embarrassed. I've just been noticing signs...when was the last time you were...well, you know? On the cycle?"

"Oh, this is so embarrassing," Diana groaned through her hands. She paused in her wallow of despair, thinking about what he had just asked. She could feel herself go cold as she answered with, "I think it was last month...maybe before..."

Sully was kind enough to go to the closest drugstore and buying her a pack of home pregnancy tests. Diana had gladly taken them out of his hands as soon as he had walked back in the door and rushed to the bathroom.

Sully had waited in the living room, sitting down on the couch and reading the newspaper with a cigar in his mouth as he waited for Diana. Surprisingly, Sully was keeping a calm and cool demeanor. However, Sully knew he was worried. Diana was a sweet girl. He knew her life story, and over the years not only had he became protective over Nathan, but he started to care for Diana was well. If she was pregnant, and Sam didn't like it...Sully was definitely going to have to talk to that boy if that was the case.

Sully wasn't sure how long it took for Diana to come out of the bathroom, but as soon as Sully looked up he could tell that Diana had been crying.

"Diana, what's wrong?" Sully asked in concern, as he set the paper down on the side table.

Trembling, Diana held up one of the pregnancy tests she had taken (she had taken at least three to be sure). He could barely see it, but Sully could tell that it read positive.

Diana Davenport was pregnant.

"I'm...I'm pregnant?"

Diana began to cry again. Sully wasn't sure what to do, so he did something that he rarely did.

He hugged her.

Diana allowed the older man to wrap his arms around her. She invited the comfort, as she began to cry even harder.

"What am I doing to do?" she cried. What she meant was: How am I going to tell Sam?

In the next few days of the process, Diana was able to get to a doctor who was able to confirm her pregnancy. Sully was with her as she cried (again) at the office and helped her arrange her next appointment.

There really wasn't much that they did after that. Diana was still getting sick (albeit less now) and she slept a lot. She got upset a lot, as her anxieties about telling Sam that they were going to have a baby kept growing by the hour.

* * *

Three weeks after Diana and Sully found out, Sam and Nathan finally returned. Diana was passed out in the room she shared with Sam, and Sully was snoring away on the couch.

The brothers themselves were exhausted, so Nathan had gone straight to his room. Sam was a little hungrier than tired and had gotten a quick snack before quietly sneaking into his room. He stopped for a moment as he watched Diana sleep peacefully. Sam couldn't help but smile. Diana was cute when she was asleep.

Carefully, Sam sat down on the edge of his side of the bed, kicking his shoes off before rolling onto the mattress; spooning Diana. He nuzzled his nose into her hair, just taking her in. He had missed her, and hope she was feeling better. He still felt bad for leaving her while she was sick.

The next morning, Sam woke up before Diana. It wasn't necessarily odd, but it still made Sam worry, because they had both slept in a little later than usual and Diana would have been at least awake by now. Sam was really hoping that Diana wasn't still ill.

The young man was hesitant about leaving Diana by herself, but ultimately decided that she would be fine if he had got a cup of coffee, and maybe sneak in a cigarette or two. Sam knew that Diana didn't exactly want him to smoke, but he couldn't help it. It was an addiction. The best he could was to not do it around Diana.

Yet, Diana let Sully pull out a cigar. Sam could feel his face scrunch up as he saw Sullivan sitting down at the dining table, paper out and cigar hanging from his mouth. What is he still doing here?

Sam ignored the older man as he made his way into the kitchen, somewhat mindlessly preparing iced coffee for Diana.

"I don't think she's ready to drink that yet," Sullivan spoke up. Sam glared holes into the back of the man's hand but ceased as Sully continued. "Last time she took even a whiff, she didn't feel so hot."

"Is she feeling any better?" Sam asked.

Sully was quiet for a moment, flipping a page of the paper before answering, "You might want to ask her."

Sam's annoyance for the older man sparked. He was about to retort, but then Diana came into view. Sam brightened up almost immediately. He wanted to say something, but even after all those years Diana just seemed to stun him.

Diana, seeing that Sam wasn't going to say anything, gave him a bright smile as she made her way towards him. She seemed very hesitant.

"Hey," Diana was practically glowing as she rose on her tiptoes. Sam took that as a cue to peck her on the lips. "When did you get back?"

"Last night. You were sleeping," Sam answered as he wrapped his arms around her figure. Diana wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I thought someone was in bed with me," Diana hummed. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," Sam replied. "How are you feeling?"

Diana leaned back slightly, looking down. She seemed hesitant.

"Diana?"

"I'm fine," Diana answered too quickly. Sam gave her a look, but she refused to look at him in the eye. Gently, Sam's thumb went under her chin and he slowly made Diana look at him.

"Diana, what's wrong?" Sam asked. "You can tell me anything, you know that right?"

"Yeah, I know, I know," Diana nodded, still sounding unsure. "It's just that...I'm afraid on how you'd react and…"

"Diana."

Sam watched as Diana took a deep breath, closing her eyes. It wasn't too long before she opened them back up and stared up at him. She took another deep breath.

"Sam, I found out something while you were gone," Diana began slowly. "It's nothing bad but it is...surprising?"

Sam wanted to say something, anything. However, he felt frozen and he knew Diana was going to say more. He had learned not to interrupt Diana over the years.

"Sam, I'm...I'm…" Diana found it hard to speak, but an encouraging nod from Sam helped her. She took a deep breath. "Sam, I'm pregnant."

Time was frozen, as Sam and Diana stared into each other. Sam could feel both the blood draining from him and Diana's trembling. Even Sully, who was still at the table, was completely silent.

Sam had wanted to say something, anything, but he wasn't sure how to respond. He did someone respond when they find out that they're expecting a child?

"Good morning," Nathan's voice broke the tense silence. Sam, Diana, and Sully all stared at the young adult, as he rubbed at his eyes. Sam almost wanted to yell at Nathan for interrupting but at the same time, the younger Drake did break the tension in the room.

Nathan had noticed that all three adults were staring at him with blank yet hard looks. Slowly, his dreariness disappeared as he became more aware of what was going on. Actually, he didn't know what was going on.

"Uh...is everything alright?" Nathan asked, unsure on what was happening.

No answer. Then—

"Diana's pregnant!" Sam cheered as he hopped over the counter and practically squeezed the life out of his brother. "We're having a baby!"

Nathan's, Sully's, and Diana's jaws all dropped at Sam's reaction. Diana started to laugh, then almost began to tear up as she realized that Sam wasn't angry with her. She now felt more relieved than she had been in the past few weeks.

Nathan was spluttering, looking back and forth between his brother and the woman that he saw as an older sister. "Are you serious?"

Diana nodded, feeling the excitement rise. 'Yes, yes!"

"That's great!" Nathan yelled, as he practically ran to Diana and hugged her. He pulled back. "Congratulations, Diana!" Sam cleared his throat. "...and Sam?"

"And Sam," Diana nodded, almost laughing at Nathan's hesitation. Sam didn't find it as humorous, though.

"Who else do you think?" Sam asked.

No one particularly heard Sully as he went back to reading his newspaper, mumbling, "Huh. That went better than I expected it to be."

* * *

Even though Diana never really did anything as dangerous as Sam, Nathan, or Sully, she was deemed to be on maternity leave by all of them. Especially by Sam.

Diana knew it was the right thing to do, and Sam even stayed around more to help take care of both Diana and their unborn child, in addition to getting prepared for the new family member. However, she felt lonely and out of the loop a whole lot. The boys did keep her updated, but now that she was out for a while she felt as if she was no help.

"But you are," Sam told her. "Who else keeps us in check? Write up our backstories for our IDs? Who knows how to do practically everything in social events? Get people to like us?"

Diana couldn't help but blush. "You flatter me too much."

"No, I don't!" Sam insisted. "I only tell the truth."

Diana barked out a laugh. "Ha! That's the biggest lie I've ever heard from you, Sam."

Sam backtracked, holding his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. I tend to lie, but I always tell you the truth. You're my one and only, Diana."

Diana smiled widely. "Really?"

Sam smiled back, equally as wide. "Really."

That's how it usually went when Sam was the one who stayed with her. He was loving, doting, and really took care of Diana and their unborn child. Nathan was, however, equally as caring.

Even if Nathan had evolved since Diana first met him, he was still the sweet little fourteen-year-old boy to her. She often found it humorous when they went out together in public, because people thought that they were an item and that he was the father of Diana's baby. Both brothers gagged at the thought, but all three of them thought it was worse when people thought that it was Sully who was the father. Yuck!

Diana's pregnancy went rather smooth. There were a few bumps in the road, but they were easily smoothed out. It was a very easy pregnancy.

Sam would deny it, but he almost certainly got teary-eyed when he found out that they were expecting a little girl. Diana was delighted (she would have been nonetheless), but she was also worried. She feared that she would be like her mother. Sam shared similar feelings, but it was of him being like his father.

Sam had confided to her his fears late one night. He had worried that he would turn out like his old man, and that his relationship with their daughter would be the same. From what Diana knew, Sam and his father were always at odds with each other and after his mother died, his father gave up custody on both Sam and Nathan. Diana knew that had to hurt. By the end of Sam's monologue, he began to tear up. Diana only knew because she could hear him sniffling.

"I don't want to end up like him, you know?"

Diana, who was cuddling into his frame, raised her head up to look at him, lifting one of her hands to his cheek, slowly and carefully as she began to stroke it.

"I get it. You think I don't have the same fears?" Diana began. "Even if we were raised a bit different, I understand and Sam, you are nothing like him. You'll be a great father. Do you know how I know?" Diana paused, but not long enough for Sam to answer. "It's because of Nathan. You've brought him up since a young age and continued to do so after all you two have been through. So, don't you think for one minute that you'll end up like him, because you won't. She'll love you, Sam. In fact, she already does."

Sam had a wavering smile as Diana assuage his fears. Sometimes, he forgot how much he appreciated Diana.

"Thank you, Diana," Sam said softly, as his hand smoothed over her dark, glossy thick hair. "You won't be like your mother, you know. You're kind, warm, and loving. After all, why did you ever give me the time of day?"

Diana laughed as she pecked a kiss onto Sam's nose. "It's because you were different. I don't know how to explain it but...you were the only one who saw me for who I was, for who I _could_ be. I don't think I've ever met someone like you. Sam, I know I don't say it often but...I love you."

"I love you" was something that the couple did not say often. They didn't need to, as the words didn't come easy to either of them. However, they couple did know that they loved each other, showing through actions and different sayings. Diana didn't expect Sam to say the words back, knowing he had a harder time than she did in saying it. However, Sam always managed to surprise her.

"I love you too, Diana," Sam had responded, as he arms tightened around her frame. "You're one of the only good people in my life. I don't know what I'd do without you."

* * *

Diana didn't realize how long labor and delivery could last until she had her child.

It was a calm day when Sam and Diana's daughter decided that it was time to enter the room. Both brothers were home, but Sam had gone out to run some errands, leaving Nathan with Diana.

By this point, Diana was on bedrest. It was boring, not being able to really do anything, but she was able to pass the time by reading, writing, and napping. Diana was in the middle of writing when she felt her water broke. Diana had stopped in mid sentence, pausing and waiting. Then, she felt a contraction, and that's when she let out a rather unexpected yell.

Nathan, who was preparing himself something to eat, had ran into Diana's room, looking alarmed. "What is it? What happened?"

"I think I need to go to the hospital," Diana breathed out, "BECAUSE I'M HAVING A BABY!"

Diana never yelled, and she usually tried not to. However, since she had just all but screamed at Nathan, the young man knew that it was serious.

"Holy shit!" he swore. "Uh...stay right there! I'll be back; don't move!"

"I'm not going anywhere!" Diana yelled after him. She prayed that she'll be able to get to the hospital soon.

It was Sully who was able to get Diana to the hospital in a stat. Sully couldn't go in with Diana, who just wanted Sam to be there. While she got checked in, changed, and started preparations, Diana internally swore at Sam, who was going to get an earful from her when he finally showed up.

Sam showed up sooner rather than later, about half an hour after Diana was checked in. Diana wanted to be mad at him, and she was, but she was really trying not to be too upset. She didn't want anything bad happen during labor and delivery. Sam could sense that Diana wasn't pleased with him but knew better than to bring it up.

Labor and delivery was long and hard but in the end, it was worth it. Diana and Sam welcomed Grace Morgan Drake into the world.

Names had many definitions. The name Grace is a Latin name that could mean many things. The name Grace could mean kindness, thanks, or beauty. To her parents, their little Grace was all of that. Grace's middle name, while having its own meaning, derived from something more personal. Morgan was the given surname to Sam and Nathan, and Diana wanted her daughter to have some connection to it. When Sam had realized this, he had almost cried. He also had his own reason in agreeing with having his daughter named Grace, but he would not admit what it was until years later.

Grace Morgan Drake was welcomed into the world with a loving family. Her parents held so much love for her, as well as her uncle and Sully. After Grace was born, her mother had chosen to not travel as much and found work in a more permanent place. Grace's father, however, still travelled a lot. He tried to cut back as much as he could, but he just was not quite ready to settle down yet.

This was when Diana and Sam got into more disagreements. Diana wanted him around more, especially now that they had Grace. However, she knew that Sam wouldn't or couldn't be around all the time, and she had to accept that. However, she couldn't accept him coming home in wear and tear.

Seeing Sam busted up was never a pleasing sight, and it got worse over time. Diana thought she could handle it, but truth be told? She couldn't. She hated seeing Sam like that, and she hated how Grace had to see him like that, too. What type of example was Sam showing their daughter, all busted and bruise as he entertained her with stories of his adventures?

"She's not going to remember," Sam had tried to suave Diana, but the woman was standing her ground on this one.

"You don't know that, Sam!" Diana exclaimed. She was becoming more frustrated; more upset by the second. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "Sam, please. I know you're not going to slow down but please, can you cut back just a little bit? I hate seeing you like this, looking so awful that I'm afraid you're not going to last!"

"Diana, be reasonable—" Sam started, reaching out to her. Diana stepped back, glaring at him.

"No, Sam. _You_ be reasonable!" Diana cut him off. "I want to support you, I really do. I know how much this all means to you, but sometimes I can't help but wonder...is this worth it?" She stepped closer to him, a hand ghosting against his bruised cheek, the cut on his lip. "I love you, Sam. I love you so much, but we have more responsibilities now since we first met. We have our daughter, we have Grace now. If you can't...if you can't cut back for me, could you at least do it for her?"

Sam had tried too. He tried so hard. He was able to cut back, but not as much as Diana had hoped. Diana knew that her wants and needs could not always be reached, but she was hoping Sam could meet her expectations more. On the bright side, the injuries he sustained wasn't as bad as before. As long as Sam came home safe and in one piece, then Diana was satisfied.

Grace knew who her parents were, who her family was. She had two loving parents. She knew her father was gone a lot, but she could always recognize him. She would light up when he was home. Her father was equally as happy, bonding with her as much as he could. Diana was right when she said Sam would be an excellent father. He fed her, clothed her, played with her and told her stories. When she was sad, Sam always did his best to cheer his little girl up. Every time he was gone, he always brought a small trinket for Grace from where he had ventured to.

Grace loved the little presents, for they reminded her of her father. It didn't matter what they were, for whenever she missed him she would play with them or just hold a desired gift close to her heart and wait for her father to come home. Meanwhile, Diana would always do her best to make her sure her daughter's needs were met.

That was how life was, for the first five years of Grace's life. Her childhood was as normal as it could get. She had two loving parents, a fun uncle, and a man who was her grandfather in all ways but blood. As curious as she was, Grace never asked about her other relatives. Even as a child she knew the topic of family was a tender topic to touch on. She didn't have to, anyway, because she loved the family she had now.

The first five years of Grace's life was a happy one. Then suddenly, one day, it all went downhill.

Sam and Nathan were after Henry Avery's treasure. Ever since she discovered the truth of their goals, Diana could see just how obsessed the brothers were over it. Truth be told, she was never fond of it. The obsession drove them...Diana wanted to say it was deadly. Turns out that she was right about that. Henry Avery's treasure had cost her the love of her life.

It was something that neither Diana or Grace could forget. Sam and Nathan were working with a colleague, a man by the name Rafe Adler. Diana met him only a handful times and she didn't like him. Nathan didn't like him either, but Sam convinced him to work with Adler anyway. Diana didn't like it, but she didn't have much on a say in the matter. Sam wasn't going to listen, he could be quite stubborn when he wanted to be.

Diana couldn't really tell you how long the brothers were on Henry Avery but with Adler, they found a led in Panama...in a Panamanian jail, no less. Their plan was to get into the jail and somehow bribe a guard into helping them. Needless to say, Diana was not happy about it.

Sam assured her that it would be fine. It's not like this would be the first time he or Nathan were doing something dangerous. Diana couldn't help but roll her eyes. She knew that. How could she not? She's been with him for a decade! Ever since he was nineteen and she was seventeen. She knew how reckless he could get.

"I know that," Diana had told him. "It's just...I have a feeling about this one…"

Sam noted how Diana's demeanor changed. She seemed...scared.

"Diana, we will be fine. I promise. It'll only be for a few months.…"

Diana couldn't bear herself to look at him. Look at him with his charming smile; his aging face. He was barely thirty years old, but he looked so different from when they first met. It was a good different, he was still so handsome to her...even with his receding hairline. Diana was so deep in thought that she didn't even feel Sam's thumb brushing under her chin, tilting her head up slowly to him.

"Hey, look at me, okay?" Sam said quietly. When Diana made eye contact with him, Sam offered her a soft, gentle smile. "Everything's going to be alright. We shouldn't even be gone for that long. It should only be for a few months. We'll be back before you and Gracie know it." Diana had started tearing up by that point, so Sam pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Diana, I'll come back to you. I always do. I love you."

 _I love you._ Sam didn't say that too often. Diana knew he had trouble speaking about such tender topics like love, but she knew that he loved her. He knew that she loved him and to them, that's all that matter. They loved each other and with Grace, they were a happy little family.

"I love you too, Sam. I love you so much."

* * *

Sam never came back.

It was two, almost three months after Sam had left. Every day he was gone, Diana could feel her anxiety rise. She tried to keep it on the downlow, to not worry Grace. However, when Grace was asleep, that's when Diana let her worries out the most. She'd write furiously in her diary about her day. Some days were better than the rest.

One of the worst days in Diana's life was when there was a knock at the door. Grace was out, so Diana was home alone. Diana was busy washing the dishes but when she heard the knock she stopped.

"In a minute!" she called out, as she dried her hands off with a towel. Whoever at the door was impatient, as there was another knock on the door again. This time, it sounded like it was urgent. Diana didn't like it.

"I'm coming!" Diana yelled out again, this time she was near the door.

"Geez," she muttered under her breath, as she unlocked the deadbolt, then the main lock. "So impatient…"

Diana opened the door and it was Nathan on the other side. She smiled, almost greeting him until she took note of him. He looked awful, with a black eye and a...sorrowful look. Diana felt herself go cold.

"Nathan, what's wrong?" Diana found herself asking. She could feel her eyes start to well up, having an idea that she already knew. Nathan didn't go anywhere without…

"Diana, I am so sorry," Nathan breathed out heavily. He was looking at her with the most heartbroken stare, Diana couldn't handle it.

"No... _No_ , Nathan, not him…" _Not Sam. Not my Sam._

"I'm sorry," Nathan voice was cracking. He was trying not to cry but Diana knew better than that. She's known Nathan for a long time, she knew how he was.

"It was all my fault, Diana. I could've—"

Diana didn't let him say anything else. She wrapped her arms around the man she saw as a little brother, hugging him close and tight.

"It's okay Nathan," Diana was able to let out, as the tears started streaming down her face. "It's okay. It's not your fault, I know it isn't."

That was when Nathan started to cry, and he held onto Diana harder as if he was afraid she would disappear, too. This made Diana cry harder as she held onto Nathan tighter, afraid that he would disappear.

Then, Diana realized they were forgetting about someone.

"Oh God, what am I going to tell Grace?"

* * *

Grace, like any child who loved their father, was devastated when her mother and uncle broke the news to her. Her father was dead, and he was not going to return.

Grace took the loss of her father hard, but Diana took it harder. Her heart was broken; shattered into pieces and it was hard to put it back together.

After his death, Diana was not the same. She had a mental health history that dealt with depression and mood swings and with Sam gone, it seemed to have amplified. She became more irritated but had less energy than she had ever had. Some days, Diana felt like she couldn't do anything. All she could do was lay down as turmoil tortured her. Her young daughter could not do much to help her. The only thing Grace could do was watch her mother wither away.

It made Grace sad, seeing her mother in such a state. The young child could remember a time where her mother was happier, more cheerful and optimistic. However, that light had burned out. Ever since her father died. Grace was convinced that when her father died, a part of her mother did too.

Nathan changed a lot since his brother's death. He took on more jobs and was more reckless than he once was. He visited Diana and Grace but not as much as he used to before. He found it hard to, since every time he saw them he thought of his brother. Diana was the love of his life and Grace was his little girl. Seeing them both reminded him of his guilt, especially when he saw Grace. She was five when her father died, the same age Nathan was when his mother died. To him, that was cruel irony. He couldn't bear it.

Nathan especially couldn't handle seeing his young niece after another tragedy struck.

It was a year after Sam's death. Diana, while not the same, was a better version of herself than the year before. She still had her episodes, but she was still able to function and provide for her daughter, with the help of Sully and Nathan. Sully popped in whenever he could but the same could not be said for Nathan. She knew that since his brother died, he had changed. Diana was fine with it for she had changed too but it still hurt, knowing that Nathan felt like he shouldn't see Diana or Grace. Diana loved Nathan and knew that Grace adored her uncle but Nathan...he would just have to come around when he was ready.

A year after Sam's death brought more change to Diana. She had noticed signs that she was changing and while mentally she was doing better...her body was not. She had gone through changes and was starting to get scared. She had arranged a doctor's appointment. She was hoping she would be fine. She _had_ to be. She had to be for her daughter, the most precious thing in Diana's world.

However, fate had different plans for Diana Davenport. After a few more visits and testing, Diana was diagnosed with a terminal illness, and they weren't sure how long she had to live.

When Diana returned to her home, she fell onto her knees and started sobbing. Diana wasn't sure if she had ever cried this hard in her entire life. She had life alternating news. She was ill and there was no cure for her. She was going to die.

How could Diana succumb to her fatal disease? She didn't want to. She still had so much to live for! She had her daughter, who had already lost one parent. How could she lose the other? How could fate do this to her daughter.

Diana had an episode, which meant she had flipped her house upside down. She was so upset. How could this happen? Why would fate do such a thing?

Eventually, Diana was able to calm herself down. She looked around, bleary-eyed as she saw the destruction that was done. _Grace can't see this. She can't know yet._

Diana had called one of her neighbors, an old woman who Diana had befriended years old woman was a good friend who sometimes babysat Grace, which is what Diana needed her to do now. When the old woman answered her phone and Diana asked, her sweet old neighbor agreed to.

With that being taken care of, Diana began to clean the rooms she destroyed, which were the living room/dining area, kitchen, and her bedroom. Even with much destruction, Diana was able clean up fairly quickly. She couldn't help but cringe as she noticed that she threw away a lot of glass.

Next, she called the pharmacist to make sure she knew when to pick up the medication her doctor had prescribed. Luckily, she already made her next appointment with her doctor at their office, so she was good there.

Next, she decided to call Nathan. It surprised Diana how quick Nathan picked up.

 _"Diana! It's good to hear from you,"_ Nathan greeted her. Diana couldn't help but smile. Nathan was in one of his better moods. As much as he tried to distance himself from her with care, Diana could tell he was always happy to hear from her.

"It's good to hear you, too, Nathan. I was actually calling because I was wondering when you would be able to come by?" Diana asked rather casually. She couldn't let Nathan know now, he had to hear it in person.

 _"I'm almost finished with this job, I think. I would say within the next week or two, I should be able to visit."_

"Good. I can't wait to see you then."

After calling Nathan, she called Sully. He was in the states at this time but wouldn't be able to stop by until at least tomorrow or the next day after. Diana was fine with that. She needed a little more time and was glad for it.

After making those two phone calls, Diana went to the closet in her bedroom. In her closet, she had a high shelf that also served as a hanging rod for her clothes. Diana had to get a step stool to be able to reach to the top (Sam had always made fun of her for not being able to reach high like he could) and grab the box she needed. After retrieving it she went back to the dining area, sitting down at the table. She also made sure to grab a notepad and pen.

Diana opened the box. This box held some of the most important papers to the Drake-Davenport household. This included social security numbers and Grace's birth certificate. As Diana suspected, there was also the legal will Sam had left. Diana didn't realize Sam had left a will until weeks after finding out about his death and at first, was mad at him for it. The main reason why she was pissed was because he never told her about it. The second reason was because he had made it out weeks before his final departure. Did he know he wasn't going to make it? Diana sighed. There was no use to thinking like that now.

Sam had left whatever he could to Diana and Grace the most. He made sure that they were taken care of in his will, especially since he and Diana never married.

Looking over the will, Diana shook her head to herself. She needed to make out a new will and fast.

* * *

Sully was the first to find out.

True to his word, Victor Sullivan visited Diana as soon as he could. Diana couldn't help but feel grateful for his presence. Over the years, Sully had proved to be an excellent friend to her. To Diana, Sully just wasn't a friend. He was family.

Sully knew Diana was nervous in telling her big news to him, but she was able to drop the ball. As much as he was saddened to hear (and see) Diana's predicament, he didn't falter. He saw that Diana was still strong and would be until the worst happened to her. He also knew that within the next year or so he was going to have to help her and her daughter. Sully would do anything for them.

Nathan was the second to find out. He came back five days after Diana called him. Sully was there when Diana told him the news.

Nathan was gobsmacked when Diana told him she was terminally ill. How could this happen? Diana didn't deserve it and neither did Grace. His niece already lost one parent, she couldn't lose another one. Not like this.

Nathan took the news hard.

"I'm so sorry, Diana," Nathan sounded so sorrowful, so hurt. Diana gave him a small smile.

"It'll be okay, Nathan," Diana told him gently. "I know it's hard to hear and believe, but it will be okay. I'm writing up a will, and I want you and Sully to be there and sign it."

"Of course," Nathan agreed. "I owe you so much."

"You don't owe me anything," Diana shook her head. "I just...I want you to be there. You're family, Nathan."

Nathan didn't realize it, but he had started to tear up. So much was going on in such little time. As he hugged Diana tightly, he made a vow to himself. He promised to himself that when Diana was gone, he was going to be a better uncle; a better role model to Grace. He was going to be there for her, more than ever. He had to be. Diana and Grace was the only family he had left and after Diana would depart...it will only be Grace left. She would need all the guidance and care she could.

* * *

Diana Davenport died when she was thirty-one years old.

Grace was eight at the time of her mother's death. She was with her mother when she died, holding her hand until the very end. Her mother's death was one of the worst events in her life because afterwards, Grace's life had turned upside down.

Nathan and Sully had finished the funeral plans Diana had started making for herself. They let Grace choose the flowers for her mother but other than that, they didn't want Grace to have to deal with any more stress. (Besides, who lets a child plan their parent's funeral? Both men thought Sam and Diana would not be very happy.)

The viewing and funeral services for Diana Davenport was one Diana would have been happy with. Many people came for the funeral, which included neighbors, friends, Grace's teachers and some of her classmates...and Diana's parents.

Grace had never met her grandparents. Her paternal grandmother had died, and her grandfather was out of the picture long before she was born. Grace knew about her maternal grandparents, but not too much. The only thing she knew about them was that they did not have a great relationship with Diana, her mother. While they did not have a great relationship with their daughter, they did come to celebrate the life of their youngest...and to take her daughter.

Grace had found out during the viewing and had flipped out. She didn't want to go with two strangers, despite relation by blood. She wanted to stay with Uncle Nate and Sully! She was upset and judging by her reaction, Nathan and Sully realized she was having a panic attack.

Quickly, Sully took the little girl out of the area and into the vacant hallway, where she could cry and calm down without people looking at her. People were already staring at her enough and she didn't need any more of that.

"I don't wanna go with them! I wanna stay with you and Uncle Nate," Grace had cried, as she hugged Sully tightly. Sully let her cry into his suit as he rubbed her back, trying to soothe her.

"I know you don't and if I could, I wouldn't let you out of my sight," Sully said. "But Uncle Nate thinks that it's the best thing for you."

Grace was surprised to hear that it was her uncle's idea that she lived with her grandparents. Why did he think it was a good idea? Did he not love her anymore?

Eventually, Grace had pulled away but was still close enough to have Sully's hands on her shoulders. He was kneeling so he and Grace could look at each other better.

"Why?" Grace had asked, her voice croaking. Sully had no doubt that all these changes were too much for the little girl. Her mother just died, and they dropped the bombshell that Grace was going to live with her grandparents.

"It's the best thing for you," Sully repeated. He was about to elaborate, but Grace had beaten him to the punchline.

"You mean he doesn't have time for me," she said sadly, looking down at her shoes.

It took a moment for Sully to figure out how to respond. He wanted to tell her that her statement wasn't true but maybe she was right. Ever since his brother died, Nathan had been...obsessed with work. He travelled everywhere and anywhere and did anything he could. Sully could agree with Nathan that Grace couldn't grow up like that. It was just too much. However, if he could, Sully would keep her...but he couldn't. He wouldn't be able to provide Grace what she needed, and neither could Nathan.

So, what could Sully say? Despite being young, Grace was very aware of the world around her. She was too smart for her own good. The best thing was to tell her the truth or otherwise she would be upset.

"Your uncle thinks that your grandparents will be able to provide for you in areas that he can't," Sully had told the young girl. "But just because you're living with them, it doesn't mean that we won't be able to visit you."

Grace perked up at that. To her, she had thought that going to live with two total strangers met that she could never see her uncle or Sully ever again.

"Really?" Grace asked.

"Really," Sully repeated. "I promise we'll come visit you whenever we can. We won't forget you, Grace. You're too important to us."

Grace hugged Sully again, tightly. It was as if she was afraid he would disappear, too.

"I love you, Sully," Grace said. Sully couldn't help but form a grin at the little girl's words. It was always nice to hear someone say that to him, even after all these years.

"I love you too, kid."

* * *

 **A/N:** Yeah, the last half of this chapter was like, super sad to write. Diana is actually like, one of my favorite original characters I've created! (Okay, I love most of my OCs, but Diana has such a soft spot in my heart.) Even though she is gone, she won't be forgotten.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, because I both did and did not, lol. I wanted to add more to the ending with Sully, but I think this is a good place to stop. We'll find out more about Grace's childhood as the story continues. Ugh, can't wait! Next chapter, Grace will be a grown up. I won't say anything else about that.

Before I sign off, does anyone play Life is Strange 2? Just asking because I am SUPER excited for episode 2 to finally come out! I love Sean and Daniel so much, they're my sons. God, if anything happens to Sean, Daniel (especially), and Mushroom, I will lose it. (Same thing applies with Chris, who is going to appear in episode 2! Charles, I _will_ kick your ass.)

Also! If you haven't, you should totally follow me on Spotify (it's madisonkennedymaximoff)! I have a playlist for Grace, as well as Sam/Diana. I am currently making a playlist for Diana, so I'll let you know when it's published if I can. I'm also planning to change the cover for this story soon, so don't be alarmed! Anyway, I hope you all had a great time reading this (my heart broke) and can't wait to see you next time!


	3. chapter one: 12 years later

**A/N:** I'm so mad with myself, lol. I basically had this entire chapter written out for _months_ , and what did I do? I said, "Gee, I'll fix the end of this chapter later!" and then...I waited it out? Partially because I wanted to plan ahead, partially because I procrastinated and...that's about it, really. I hope you enjoy this chapter :) sorry for the long wait.

* * *

Grace numbly unlocked the door to her apartment, carefully entering and closing the door behind her. She didn't want to wake up either of her roommates, if they were in the apartment at all. (Then again, they didn't stay out as late as Grace did.)

Grace was exhausted. She had stayed overtime at her job, longer than expected. She hadn't planned on doing it but...she did. She was going to regret it in a few hours.

Grace was too exhausted to make it to her bedroom, so she plopped herself on the couch, kicking her shoes off. She set her phone on the side table, making sure it was on the charger before laying down.

A lot has happened in Grace's life. Once upon a time, she was happy. She had a family. That changed when her father died when she was five years old. Things were good for a little while, and then her mother died as well. That's when it all fell apart, at least for a little while. As tragic as Grace's early beginnings may have been, she was at a better place now. She graduated school early and she was getting a good start in her career, whatever it may be. She also had a great relationship with her aunt and uncle, who she had dinner with at least once a week.

Grace was the happiest she could ever be. She knew the pain from her past was still there; deep down inside, but she had never felt any better. No negative influences, the right people guiding her...it was as if she was almost normal.

Almost.

There were days that Grace still felt down, and there was just something _missing_ in her. She had accepted that she would never feel complete since she was about thirteen years old...but there was just something that was nagging her recently, and she couldn't figure out what it was. Grace had tried to talk to her family about it, but it was hard for her to bring it up. She has sure her relatives had noticed, but she couldn't be for certain. Hell, _she_ wasn't even sure on what her _own_ thoughts were.

"Maybe I'm just going crazy," is something that Grace found herself saying recently. She felt something was off...as if she was being watched. Who would want her, though? She was just a screw up. She was just an orphan. Just a Drake. Grace sighed.

" _Sic Parvis Magna_ ," she says quietly. She was about to fall asleep any minute now. "Greatness From Small Beginnings."

Growing up, whenever she was around her uncle, he would tell her that it was their family motto. They were the heirs of Sir Francis Drake, the man who had no heirs...with his wife, that is. She remembered for years how her uncle had the ring tied to a rope around his neck, as if it was a necklace, but it was lost a couple years ago. Grace couldn't tell anybody about that, however. Who would believe her? Half of the time she doubted that her uncle was telling the truth, but she tried not to argue against it. Grace had tried to ask her uncle about his past, about her _father's_ past, but he didn't want to talk about it. All that Grace knew was that her father and brother were orphans and grew up Catholic. _The apple didn't fall too far from the tree_ , Grace thought. The cycle had practically repeated with her.

Grace felt pain in her heart when she thought about her family. It hurt equally to think about either parent. She had watched her mother, her kind and beautiful mother, wilt away after her father died on his job. She found that she had been thinking about them more lately, specifically her father. The last time Grace had seen him was when she was five. She couldn't really remember him, yet simultaneously the memories she did have were very vivid to her. She remembered the little moments: him kissing her on her forehead, sitting in his lap as she begged him to tell more stories of his adventures...God she would give _anything_ to have that back.

* * *

A loud ringing noise woke Grace up from her deep slumber.

It took Grace a few seconds to register the noise, as she finally recognized after the third or fourth ring. It was her cellphone going off and judging by the ringtone, she knew exactly who it was.

Groaning, Grace rolled onto her stomach and picked up her phone, removing it from the charger. She stared at it for a full five seconds, studying the picture and the name "Uncle Nate". Grudgingly, she finally answered.

"Hello?"

" _Hey kid, how's it going?_ " her uncle asked. Grace yawned, rubbing her eyes as she responded.

"I'm fine, just a bit tired. What's up?"

" _I need your help_ ," her uncle went straight to the point. His tone had changed, and Grace wasn't sure how she felt about it. He sounded serious, which didn't exactly soothe her.

"Why? What is it?" Grace asked, as she sat up on the couch, popping her back.

" _Can you meet me at my office? It'll be better to explain it to you there_ ," her uncle said. Grace's eyes narrowed.

"What office? Uncle Nate, what's going on?" Grace was suspicious. She wanted to trust her uncle, but she knew he wasn't telling her everything. Then someone popped in her mind. "Is Aunt Elena there?"

" _No, but—"_

"What are you doing? You're hiding something, I know you are."

" _Grace_ , please! _This is important. Someone's life is on the line and I need your help_."

Grace went rigid. It felt as if her blood had stopped flowing. It had felt like time had stopped. Someone was in trouble? Oh, her uncle knew how to get her.

"Alright, fine," Grace caved in, as she found her shoes. "I'll be there in half an hour."

" _Alright, meet me at the docks,_ " her uncle said. " _Love you._ "

"Love you, too. Bye," Grace responded before hanging up, tossing her phone back onto the table. She sighed again, looking around the apartment. She put her shoes back on, lacing them on as one of her roommates entered through the front door.

"Anybody here?"

"I am!" Grace called out, as she got up. She went into the kitchen area, opening some of the drawers to look for a writing utensil. Her roommate, who had just returned from her morning jog, had noticed that Grace was in a hurry.

"What are you doing?" her roommate asked. Grace gave up finding something as she shut the drawer, moving to grab her phone and her jacket.

"My uncle wants me to go see him. Says it's an emergency," Grace explained, sounding out of breath.

"Why, is everything okay?" her roommate asked as they followed her to the front door.

"I think so. I'll let you know what's going on. I'll probably come back in an hour or so."

Knowing they wouldn't get anything else out of Grace, her roommate nodded.

"Okay, have fu—" Grace shut the door behind her, cutting her roommate off. "Fun."

Grace arrived twenty minutes after she left her apartment. The sun was just beginning to rise. The young woman found that it was beautiful scenery. She always had a thing for the sunrise, especially at the docks.

"Grace?"

Grace turned around, seeing her uncle, instantly feeling relieved.

"Uncle Nate!" Grace responded, jogging up to her uncle, giving him a hug which he reciprocated. She pulled away from him. "What's going on? Is everything alright?"

The smile from her uncle's face faded. He looked tense, which was never good. The anxiety started to build back up in Grace again.

"Uncle Nate? What's going on?" Grace could hear how apprehensive she was.

"I think it would be better if I explained it to you inside," Nate said, as he gently grabbed his niece's arm and escorted her inside. Grace somewhat stumbled, as she was trying to refuse to go in the office.

"What do you mean? Uncle Nate, you better explain it to me right now, or I swear to God I—" Grace stopped in both, words and traverse as she noticed there was another man in the room. His back was facing Grace and her uncle, but Grace felt like she was about to explode. She did not know who this man was but yet...she knew exactly who he was. She was hoping, praying even, that she was wrong.

Nate had stopped in his tracks too. The mysterious man seemed to note the atmosphere, and he slowly turned around.

 _Oh, no_.

Grace and the man stared at each other, both seemingly in shock. Even after all these years, they could recognize each other. The man was the one who spoke first, and that was when it was confirmed for Grace. She knew who he was.

"Gracie..."

" _No_ ," Grace swallowed thickly, feeling like her insides were being charred. " _No_. This isn't...you're not...no. _No._ "

"Grace—"

"No!" Grace shouted, turning to face her uncle. "This was the big secret? _This_ is what you couldn't tell me?"

"Grace, I—"

"No!" she shouted again. "I don't care what—what _this_ is. I refuse."

She walked out. No, she stomped out.

Grace didn't venture out too far, just to the end of the pier.

Grace's brain was erupting. She felt too many emotions at once, remembering too much at once, and it just _hurt_. She wanted to scream; to cry, but she wouldn't. Instead, she stared out into the water with a taunt expression with tears threatening to escape.

To put it lightly, Grace was mad. She was mad at her uncle, her father, and herself.

There were footsteps behind her, but she made no sign of acknowledgement. She knew who it was.

"You look great, kid," he said.

"Fifteen years will do a lot," Grace quipped. She heard him chuckle as he stood right at her side.

"You and me both," he agreed.

Grace mustered up the courage to look at him. Although his appearance had altered rather drastically, Grace knew who he was. Samuel Drake, her father who was long dead, but not anymore. Grace could feel herself wanting to lash out but refused to do so. _Keep yourself in check,_ she told herself.

"What happened? They said you were dead."

Her father sighed, deciding that he needed to light up a cigarette before answering her. Seeing him smoke made her itch for a cigarette, but she refrained herself from asking for one.

"That's what they wanted you to think," her father said, taking a long drag. "I did get shot, but they saved me. They wanted to see me rot after what had happened."

Grace couldn't help but gulp, as she balanced herself on the fence. "So...what happened?"

Her father didn't say anything.

"Dad—"

"I don't know if I should tell you," he admitted. She scowled at him.

"Why not?"

"Because..." he began, "because I'm afraid of how you'll react."

"You're afraid of how I'll react?" she repeated, disbelief in her tone. "Come on, you owe me this! I thought you were dead for the last _fifteen_ years of my life, and now you're back? Do you have any idea what I'm feeling right now?" She paused. "Please. You owe me this. You owe my mother this."

Her father's expression softened at the mention of her mother. When Sam had found out that Diana had died, he was devastated to say the least. Then he had wondered if that's how she had felt when Nate told her that he had died.

"Tell me about yourself, first," her father said.

Grace looked up at him. "What?"

"Tell me about yourself, I want to hear all about you first," her father replied. "What did I miss the last fifteen years of my daughter's life? Nate told me you were a genius."

"Compared to him, maybe," Grace joked. She heard a soft laughter from her father.

"Come on, Grace, fill me in. I'll tell you whatever you want afterwards; promise."

Grace nodded slowly. "Alright. Where do you want me to begin?"

* * *

Grace told her father everything that she could. She didn't talk much of her mother, or her grandparents. When Grace had told her father how she had stayed with her grandparents for a few years, his jaw clenched. He did not like the thought of Grace of having to live with Mr. and Mrs. Davenport. Grace decided to not go into detail about them, just that she was a reckless kid and got kicked out when she was fifteen. Sam had mixed emotions about it, but he was glad that she had Nathan and his wife. If she had had no support by any other means, she would probably be dead.

Sam loved hearing all the things she did as a kid. She took ballet which at first, she hated. As time went on, she found peace in it. He couldn't help but laugh at some of her stories, which involved a lot of sneaking out of the house. She didn't always go into detail, but Sam felt like he knew what she did. After all, she was a Drake.

By the time Grace finished her stories, she found herself laughing with her dad. She felt a little bit more at ease, but soon her laughter died. She thought about one more thing.

"Do you know about mom?"

Sam's grin had also faded at this point. He nodded somberly.

"Yeah, I know," Sam began softly. "Nathan filled me in on some of it. I'm sorry you had to go through it alone."

The edge of Grace's mouth twitched. "It's fine. There was nothing you could do about it. I'm just sorry that she's not here to see you."

Grace's eyes started to water up. It didn't matter how long ago it was, she still missed her mom and seeing her father reopened something inside the young woman.

Sam wrapped his arms around his daughter, pulling her into a hug. Grace wrapped her arms around her dad, with tears escaping.

"I really missed you," Grace admitted.

"I missed you too, Gracie," Sam told her. He almost regretted the job he had done fifteen years ago. If he had known this would have been the outcome, there was a chance that he would have not gone. He hated to see his daughter in pain, despite her saying she was okay. He could always tell when his girls were unhappy. It made his heart clench just thinking about it.

Sam pulled away from his daughter, his hands falling onto her shoulders. He was about to ask Grace a question, but she beat him to it.

"Why are you here?" she asked, her tone somewhat cold. Sam sighed, knowing there was no way out of it.

"Alright," he began. "Do you know who Henry Avery is?"

Sam began to tell his daughter the story. He told her how, many years ago, he and his brother were looking for the pirate's treasure. They had paired up with a wealthy socialite, but things turned ugly and when the three tried to escape, Sam got wounded and was left behind. Grace said nothing of it, only staring at him as he continued the story. He had mentioned that he had escaped the prison with the help of the infamous drug lord, Hector Alcázar. Sam had mentioned how he had told Alcázar about the treasure, and how Alcázar had given him three months to find it. So...

"You need help," Grace realized.

Sam nodded.

"That's why you came back..."

Sam grimaced. He went to say something, but Grace had turned away from him and looked out in the water, her arms resting on the wooden rail.

"I came to see you, you know," Sam started, as he joined his daughter, who was still staring ahead. "You were my first thought when I was free. I thought about you every day."

Silence. Then...

"I thought about you every day, too," Grace admitted, barely turning to look at her father. "I missed you every day and when mom died...I _was_ all alone."

"I know, and I am so sorry for that, Gracie. I really am," Sam told his daughter. It was the truth. If there was one thing he regretted the most, it was leaving his family behind. "But I'm here now...and I need your help."

Grace quirked an eyebrow, now fully turning to stare at her father. Her? Help him?

"How?" Grace asked.

"Gracie, you're easily the smartest person me or your uncle know," Sam started, his hands gripping onto the rail. "He told me stories. You told me stories. You're extremely smart for your age. If Diana told me anything, it's a lot like her brother's intelligence. He graduated at an early age, too, you know."

"I don't," Grace said. Her grandparents rarely talked about her deceased uncle. There were barely any photos of him in their house, as far as she knew. In the household, it was like Daniel Davenport never existed.

"Well, you do now," Sam faltered. "But don't doubt yourself, alright? I know a smart kid when I see one. Who can say that they were able to pull off all the shit you've done? No one, that's who."

Grace was having a hard time replying to her dad. Eventually, she settled on:

"What do you need help with?"

Grace had a feeling that she might regret it, but she was always willing to lend a helping hand. Especially if it was family. She would do anything for them. She watched as her father smiled.

"We are going to steal a cross from the Rossi Estate."

Sam passed a small piece of paper to his daughter, who studied the information on it.

"This is what you want? The Saint Dismas Cross?" Grace questioned, as he read the article.

"Nate and I went looking for a cross similar to this years ago, but it was hollow. Nothing was in it. However, the Rossi Estate is having an auction on this cross..."

"...still intact," the father and daughter said together. Sam's grin became wider, if possible. Grace looked up to him.

"It has what you're looking for," Grace concluded. "Sounds dangerous..."

Sam nodded.

"And it's at the Rossi Estate? Italy, right?"

"It is in Italy," Sam confirmed, but paused when he realized his daughter already knew. "How do you...?"

"When your family and their friends are active in this type of lifestyle, you pick up on a few things," Grace shrugged. "It's a pretty serious auction, though. This is black market stuff, right?"

"Yeah..." Sam fumbled on his words. Who taught his kid all of this?

"It sounds dangerous..."

"If you're uncomfortable, you don't—"

"...and fun," Grace finished off, cracking a smile that mirrored her father's. Sam clapped a hand on his daughter's back.

"You in?"

"Definitely."

"Hey, I just got off the phone. Sully says he's in," Nathan appeared behind the father and daughter, who both turned to look at him. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything is fine. Gracie, here, has decided to join the team," Sam said with pride in his tone. Grace couldn't help but feel giddy on the inside, both with her father and the fact that Sully was allegedly helping as well. Meanwhile, Nathan seemed surprised to hear the news.

"Are you that surprised, Uncle Nate? I mean, remember what happened in Yemen?"

"Don't remind me," Nathan groaned, rubbing his temple at the mere thought. He looked at Sam. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"No doubt in my mind, brother. Let's get this started."

* * *

 **A/N:** And there it is! I would have dived into more of Grace's childhood, but I have a feeling that more will be revealed at a later date ;) Which reminds me: when the gang gets to Scotland, should Grace join the brothers or should she stay back with Sully? I'm leaning more towards the latter, but I'm interested to hear in what you think. Also, when writing this story, I like to picture Sofia Carson as Grace and/or Diana. However, I cannot keep just one faceclaim as any of my characters (lol), so envision them however you want! I also have a playlist for Grace on Spotify. It's under the account **madisonkennedymaximoff** , and her playlist is titled **GRACE DRAKE [UNCHARTED]**. I'm adding more songs currently and hopefully, one day, I'll be satisfied enough to publish the playlist I made for Diana, lol.


	4. chapter two: the rossi estate

**A/N:** Sorry for the long delay! I got caught up with Uni this semester, but now I had time to wrap up this chapter! Please enjoy.

* * *

The past few days were a blur to Grace. She had to call work, pack, and made sure she left money for rent that was bound to be due soon. After all what was needed was done, Grace found herself traveling to Italy with her father and uncle.

It was surreal, Grace thought as she flopped down on her hotel bed. Never did she think in a million years that something like this would happen to her. Then again, she somehow always found her way in a sticky situation. Sully had told her it was a family trait; in her blood.

Speaking of Sully, he was the reason why she had such a nice hotel room. Her uncle was right when he said that the older man would aid in stealing a cross/breaking into one of the biggest auctions in the black market. Sully had style, and Grace loved it. He was by far her favorite crook/old man. Sully just wasn't just some strange old man. He was family and if she had to be honest, she had favored him over her uncle for a long time. As the years went by, however, Grace had lost the bitterness she held towards her uncle. The older she became, the more she could understand her uncle's choice but...sometimes she still felt hurt over it.

Grace had thought of telling both her uncle and father about it. Her uncle knew that she had felt resentment towards him but they had moved past it. Grace had hinted it with her father, but offered no detail. She was afraid of how he would react. She was afraid of how _she_ would react.

Grace was thrown out of her thoughts when she heard a knock on her door. Quickly, the young woman went to open the door and there stood her favorite old man.

"Sully!"

Grace wrapped her arms around the elder, who hugged the young woman back.

"It's good to see you too, Grace. It's been too long since I last saw you. You look more beautiful every day," Sully complimented, as the two pulled away from each other. Grace brushed a piece of her hair back, as she blushed at his words.

"You're only saying that because you're obligated to," Grace commented. After all, she had just finished washing her face and she was wearing a white bathrobe with a matching towel holding her hair up to dry.

"I would never lie," Sully grinned, which Grace mirrored.

"Bullshit. That's basically your entire career," Grace said with a bit of laughter.

Sully chuckled too, but held out a white sheet to her. She saw the metal of a hanger stick out, however, and realized there was some type of clothing he was gifting to her.

"Sully…" Grace began, not quite sure what to tell him.

"It's for you, kid," Sully insisted, practically thrusting it into her arms. "I ain't taking no for an answer. Wear it for the auction."

Grace decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Despite his usual Hawaiian shirt getup, Sully could spot an eye for style for those who cared for. At least, that is what she had been told. She supposed she would find out.

"Okay," Grace eventually said. "I trust you."

Sully grinned.

"Good. I'll be back in a few hours to pick you up. You remember the plan, right?"

Grace nodded.

"Of course. I'll see you later."

Grace and Sully nodded to each other, before Sully shut the door. Grace ventured farther in her room, hanging the mysterious outfit in the closet. Deciding to spoil herself, the young woman unzipped the fabric to reveal what Sully had gifted her.

It was a dress. Dark in color, but it appeared that she would show a little midriff, with decor flaring away from it. It was a classic look, and Grace couldn't help but be reminded of one of Gene Tierney's dresses from the Golden Age. Grace absolutely loved it.

"Sully has good taste," Grace whispered to herself before deciding to finally get ready.

It took the young woman nearly two hours to complete her look. She had to do her makeup, hair, and dress herself. When she was done, she had looked at herself in the full body mirror her room had, checking herself out. Now, Grace had gotten herself dolled up in the past for various occasions, such as school dances, her aunt and uncle's wedding, and for nights out in the town but she knew that this was her best work yet. Possibly because she knew she had to be the best in order to save her father from imminent danger.

It was almost ironic. Their roles should probably be reversed; the parent doing anything to save their child but life had a funny way of doing things. Never mind that, though, because now there was another knock at Grace's door.

 _Sully's here,_ Grace thought as she once again, opened the door. Her prediction was right. Sully was now in a tuxedo and had cleaned up a bit.

"Hi, Sully," Grace greeted. "You clean up well."

"You should be telling yourself that," Sully bounced right back. "The people there won't know what hit them."

He wasn't wrong. Grace was one to be described as pretty or beautiful and with the way she did her makeup and had her hair in waves that cascaded, she was almost ethereal.

It almost pained Sully to look at Grace for in this moment, he felt like he was looking at Diana. Her daughter had favored her looks, save for the smile and thick eyebrows. Those were some of Sam's attributes, and Sully had to say that he was happy that those were some of the only physical traits Grace had inherited from him.

"Well, I have to look my best, right?" Grace shrugged, reeling Sully back in. The older man gave her a soft smile.

"Yes," Sully agreed, offering his arm out to her like a gentleman. "Let's get going. We have a party to crash."

Grace grinned, wrapping her arm into his and stepping out of her room.

"It'll be fun."

* * *

It took the two about half an hour to get to the Rossi Estate. During their trip, they went over the basics of their plan.

Buy their way in. Get inside, scout around. Get upstairs to their designated room; give Nathan and Sam the signal. Once the brothers are in, they grab the cross. Flee.

The plan was simple, truly. Get in, get out. It was nothing for Grace. She could be sneaky when desired. However, she wasn't sneaking out of the house like she had done growing up. She was sneaking into something major and stealing something priceless.

Sully and Grace arrived in a timely manner, the older man being ever the gentleman, escorting Grace right inside the venue. Sully had been able to charm their way in. Step one of the plan: complete.

Grace couldn't help but look around, studying the interior of the Rossi Estate. It was simple yet elegant. The guests of the auction matched the tone of the room. Men in the finest suits and women in long dresses that screamed "wealth". Well—

"Criminals know how to clean up," Grace whispered to Sully, who merely chuckled.

"And how to have fun," Sully added, a twinkle appearing in his eyes. "Is this any different from your old shenanigans?"

"A little," Grace answered. She was about to go into more detail, but then someone had spotted out Sullivan. So, the two men had a brief chat, as Grace looked around the room more. She faltered, however, as she saw how the stage was set up. There was a podium, which wasn't too out of the blue, but it was what was on the side of it that sent her into a wave of shock and worry.

They had set up three artifacts to display and in the middle...it was the cross. The exact cross that the Drake-Sullivan Party were planning to snag in storage. _Shit._

"Grace, are you alright?" Sully had placed his free hand on bicep, as the pair had the arms locked in together. Grace looked up to him, noticing that the man he was chatting with was gone. She glanced around once more and noticed that no one was paying attention to them. Good.

"Yeah," Grace said quietly, nodding her head back to where the display was at. Sully looked on, and saw what had caused the young woman to grow cold.

"Oh, boy. That ain't good," Sully groaned. Grace nodded in agreement.

"What do we do?"

"First we get Nate and Sam in, then we figure it out from there," Sully said.

Grace and Sully moved through the junction as swiftly as they could, getting to their designated room. Sully was quick to rush over to the lamp light, flickering it on and off multiple times. When he decided that he had done it enough, he sat down on one of the lavish couches the room had to offer.

"Let's hope they saw it," the old man said, pulling out a cigar. "Why don't you look around?"

Grace had already been on it. She wasn't just going to stand there feeling awkward as Sully did his part. She had drifted to the bookshelves, studying the titles. However, when Sully had lit his cigar, she had to leave the room. It had made her itch for a cigarette, but she had kicked that bucket a few years ago.

Telling Sully that she would be right outside, Grace made her way to the thick, marble rail of the second story balcony. She watched as the guests on the first floor mingled, with her eyes drifting to the stage. Specifically, her eyes were trained on the cross.

 _How do we get it?_ Grace pondered. There were too many witnesses to simply grab and go (unless, of course, you wanted a physical altercation to happen). Also, one simply could not stand too close to the prize, for that would be too suspicious.

 _Disguise, maybe?_

As Grace observed the scene on the first floor, it didn't cause her to be distracted by her surroundings. She heard a few pairs of footsteps behind her, and Sully's gruff voice.

"Take a look."

Grace glanced around to see Sully, her father, and uncle, appearing around her. She tilted her head towards the auction below, hoping the cross caught their eye. It did.

"Oh, man…" her father groaned.

"That's Avery's Cross," her uncle realized. Grace had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. _No shit, Uncle Nate._

"They brought it out before you came," Grace opted to say instead, eyes still on the prize. "Someone was able to change the lot order."

"Take a whole pile of cash to make that happen," Sully commented.

"All right, well how long before they start the bidding?" Grace's uncle questioned, refusing to let this stop them. That was something Grace had always admired about her uncle: he let nothing stop him.

"Ten, fifteen minutes top," Sully guessed.

"Well, there's gotta be some way to grab it," Grace's uncle insisted. Sully scoffed.

"There is just the small amount of a few hundred eye witnesses down there," the older man pointed out.

"Okay, okay...we just need a diversion," Grace's uncle concluded.

"Like?" Sully questioned, as Grace lit up. She had an idea. Why hadn't it come to her beforehand?

"Lights out."

All three men looked at her. Sully and her uncle appeared to not have heard it, while her father was grinning ear to ear.

"What?" Grace's uncle asked. Her father chuckled.

"Jesus, you guys act like you've never spent time in prison—"

"—or sneak out," Grace added. Her father grinned at her.

"Or sneak out," he agreed. "If you want something dirty done, then you wait…"

"For lights out," Sully and Nathan finished together. Nathan looked towards Grace.

"Grace, you're a genius!" he praised his niece.

"I can be useful," Grace agreed.

"Where's that electrical panel for this place?" Sully asked Nathan. The younger man discreetly pulled out the map, and the four conspirators huddled around it.

"There's ventilation...electrical...that's it up here," Nathan pointed out the designated location.

"We climb up there and kill the lights."

"Grab the cross in the dark," Grace's father nodded.

"There will be an emergency generator," Sully warned.

"That'll give us a few seconds of darkness to work with…" Nathan commented.

"Someone will have to be right next to the cross when we kill the lights," Grace added.

"There's no way we can get that close without being noticed," Sully shook his head.

"Scusate, signori," a woman's voice cut through the air. Everyone at the table looked up to see a waitress standing before them. "Antipasti?"

"I'm all set," Nathan dismissed, as did Sully. However, Sam grabbed two servings, handing one to is daughter. Grace accepted, saying "Grazie".

"Hi," Sam said to the waitress. "How are you?"

"Ciao," the waitress dismissed herself, walking away from the party. Both Sam and Grace watched the waitress walk away, an idea both forming in their heads. However, Nathan thought his brother was doing the opposite.

"Would you focus?" Nathan scolded his brother, shoving him for good measure.

"A waiter wouldn't notice," Sam said, before popping his appetizer in his mouth. He looked to his daughter. "How did you like it?"

"It was good," Grace answered.

"Waiter...that could work," Sully nodded in approval.

"It _will_ work," Grace said.

"Good to hear that you have faith," Nathan said. "All right. I'll get to the break room, kill the power."

"Am I the waiter?" Sam questioned.

"I'm not changing," Grace shook her head, as Nathan nodded in agreement. Nathan began speaking to Sully, as Sam spoke to his daughter.

"You look beautiful."

Grace looked at her father, a small smile forming on her lips.

"Thank you," Grace told her father sincerely. She studied him, his expression causing her to think he was sad in some way. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," her father said with emotion thick in his tone. "I just...I'm just starting to realize how much I missed out on you growing up. Dressing up for school dances, going to dance recitals, meeting your dates..."

Grace became sympathetic.

"If it's any consolation I didn't really date. A lot of boys weren't worth the time...there were some good ones though," Grace reminisced. "I'm pretty sure Uncle Nate recorded my dances, too."

"Good to know," Sam smiled.

"I promise after all this, I will dig up every photo I can find and show them to you," Grace promised her father. The more as they conversed, Grace wanted to share more of her childhood that her father missed out on.

"Alright, follow me. Let's cut through the cellar," Sully brought the father-daughter duo back into the plan. The older man set off, as Sam offered his arm to Grace, who accepted it. They caught up to Sully rather fast, as Nathan trailed behind them.

"I gotta say, Victor. The years have been kind to you," Sam started conversation. He would at least try to maintain a steady relationship with the older man. Both his brother and daughter valued him greatly.

"Thanks. I chalk it up to going vegan," Sully replied.

"Really?" Sam asked, not registering the quiet snort his daughter made.

"Are you kidding me? Hell no," Sully barked out laughter. Grace's laughter became more apparent.

"I think he would rather be dead already then give up majority of his diet," Grace commented.

"Says the girl who is addicted to sugar," Sully retorted.

"Better than being addicted to smoking," Grace pointed out.

"You do know you used to smoke way more than I do?" Sully questioned the young woman.

"Yes, but do you know that I quit?" Grace reminded him.

"You smoked?" Sam asked his daughter. She had certainly implied it, but never confirmed it.

"I started when I was eleven," Grace began. "It was an outlet, but I stopped a few years ago...no matter how hard it was."

"Gotta say, I'm proud you were able to quit. It's hard," Sam said.

"It is…" Grace trailed off as they entered the main room; the auction room.

The Drake Party were quick to get to the cellar door. Nathan had attempted to open it but was not successful.

"Oh, hell, it's locked," Nathan swore under his breath. Sully, who was next to him, tried opening the door as well. No success.

"Shit, it was open earlier," Sully whispered.

"Can we pick it?" Sam asked.

"It's electronic," Nathan answered.

"We're gonna have to find another way in—" Sully started, but beeping from the lock made him stop. Immediately, the Drake Party backed away from the door, acting casual as a waiter came through. He looked at them all before he made his way, pocketing away a keycard.

"You see that?" Sam said to the group.

"Keycard, back left pocket," Sully confirmed.

"I'm on it," Nathan said.

"Oh, whoa, whoa. You sure you wanna do that?" Sam stopped him. "There's a lot of eyes out there."

"Actually...he doesn't need to do anything," Grace broke into the conversation. The three men turned to her, and watched as she pulled a keycard out of her clutch purse.

"When did you find time to do that?" Nathan asked her. Grace shrugged.

"I don't know. When Sully and I were scouting out? Old habits die hard, I guess…" the young woman admitted almost shyly, but Sam was grinning.

"That's my girl," he praised as he watched Grace hand a dumbfounded Nathan the keycard. The younger man accepted it and the four went back to the door.

"Let's try this again," Sully said under his breath as Nathan used the keycard to unlock the door. He was successful in this task. Sully opened the door, but his free hand went into his pocket and grabbed ear pieces.

"We'll still need these."

Everyone grabbed one and placed them in their ear. When everyone was adjusted, Sully opened the door wider.

"Good luck," Sully told the brothers. Sam squeezed his daughter's hand as if reassuring her, before he disappeared, but Nathan stayed back.

"We'll be in touch," Nathan promised. He looked at Grace. "Be good."

"You might want to elaborate on that," Grace quipped. Nathan rolled his eyes at his niece's antic before disappearing behind the door. Sully shut the door behind him, satisfied that the plan was moving along. He put his cigar back into his mouth and motioned Grace to follow him. The young woman complied, merging into the crowd.

Grace stopped besides Sully, clutching her purse as she took a deep breath. That was—

"Freeze."

Grace froze, before glancing at Sully. Did they get caught? Oh man, that was going to turn ugly. Sensing that the young woman was inwardly panicking, Sully subtle nodded his head back, almost telling her to turn around as he was now.

"Hi, Victor."

Grace had turned around by this point and saw a woman standing in front of them. She was of medium height with dark skin with dark brown curls framing her face. Unlike most women, she was not wearing a gown. Instead, she wore a silk red top with black pants and heels. She looked professional; she looked like she could throw you down in less than a second, as her outfit allowed her to reveal her muscled arms.

"Hello, Nadine," Sully greeted the woman. Grace arched an eyebrow. So, Sully knew this woman? There was a good chance they were in the clear. "Pleasure to see you again."

"Only this time, I got the drop on you," the woman teased, poking Sully in the chest.

"Well, I guess I should be glad that's not a real gun," Sully replied. "Hardly recognized you outta your fatigues."

"Yeah...you know how it is. Every once in a while a job requires us to get all 'dolled up'," Nadine replied, gesturing to herself. Then, her eyes flickered to Grace. "Hello, I don't believe we've met."

"Grace Morgan," Grace introduced herself. "I love your look."

"Thank you, you look nice yourself," Nadine replied. "I would say Victor is looking sharp but...all the men are dressing identical to each other, are they not?"

"That's what I thought!" Grace agreed. She looked up to Sully. "Seriously, I know you have more taste than _that_."

Sully only smiled, allowing the women to insult him.

"Well what can I say...I'm an old man."

Nadine and Grace both laughed politely at his statement.

"I feel so out of place here," Nadine settled on as the laughter died down. "Can't tell you what a relief it is to run into other English speakers...even if you are American."

"You'll have to blame my parents for that one," Sully said, with Grace nodding in agreement. Nadine chuckled.

"I was on my way to the bar," the woman changed the subject. "Can I get you something?"

"Yeah, scotch—on the rocks," Sully said.

"Rosé, **"** Grace requested.

"Be right back."

Sully and Grace watched as Nadine walked away. When she was no longer in their hearing range, Sully began to speak.

"Nate, did you get that?"

 _"Yes, I did...sounds like a lady's trying to buy you a drink,"_ Nathan said. There was a slight pause. _"Grace, I thought you stopped drinking?"_

"I stopped smoking, but I drink on occasion," Grace shrugged.

 _"Like that makes a difference,"_ Sam commented.

"Can you focus on what's on hand here? Nadine Ross is buying drinks," Sully cut in.

 _"Nadine Ross? Doesn't she own that army-for-hire? What's it called, Coastline?"_ Nathan questioned.

"Shoreline," Sully corrected.

 _"Yeah. Right. Thought you had a run-in with them?"_

"That's putting it mildly," Sully scoffed. "Fortunately, she does not seem to be holding a grudge."

Grace wondered what happened.

 _"Listen, we're all set. You guys, uh...stay out of trouble, okay?"_

"No promises," Grace quipped as Sully said, "We'll try."

The line cut off, and Sully looked at Grace.

"You love raising his blood pressure, don't you?"

"I can't help it. Sometimes the younger me pops out with him," Grace said. "So, we're stuck with Nadine Ross?"

"'Fraid so," Sully said. "Nice job of not using your last name."

"I was afraid of saying it. I don't know Uncle Nate or dad's reputation," Grace admitted.

"It may be wise to be afraid. There's mixed feelings about Nate," Sully admitted. Grace did not reply, but she couldn't blame other guests here for feeling indifferent towards him. Before Grace could ask Sully one more thing, she spotted Nadine Ross coming back from the bar.

"She's back. Stay cool," Grace advised Sully.

"Way ahead of you, kid," Sully said, as they both smiled at Nadine who mirrored their action.

"Here is one scotch, and one rosé." Nadine passed the two their drinks.

"Thank you," Grace told her before taking a sip. She paused, letting the alcohol course through her. "That's good."

"You like wine, do you?" Nadine acquired, taking a sip of her own drink.

"Yeah, it used to keep me company some nights," Grace admitted. "However, that's changed."

"Since you met Victor?" Nadine wondered. Grace shook her head.

"No, I've known him my entire life. He's family," Grace explained. "He's my uncle."

"Really?" Nadine asked, looking between the pair. It was as if she was trying to see the resemblance.

"She's my sister's daughter," Sully cut in. "Took a lot after her dad's family in the looks department."

"She must. So, Grace, what do you do? Are you in the business?" Nadine asked.

"I'm not. I'm just accompanying my uncle for the night," Grace explained. "I work in a museum, however. I have a degree in Anthropology."

The three guests conversed on many subjects. Sully, feeling like he had nothing intellectual to share as Grace had, began to tell the women stories from when he was in the service. Even if Grace had heard some of these stories in the past, the old man always surprised her.

"I can't believe you got away with that," Nadine was laughing, entertained by the story. Grace was laughing as well, albeit a bit more forced. She had heard this story before.

"Oh, we did not," Sully clarified. "No, we had our liberty taken away for a month."

"Serves you right," Grace quipped.

"And what about the horse?" Nadine wondered.

"Fortunately, we had enough carrots on board," Sully finished. While the three were all now chuckling, someone had caught Grace's eye.

It was Sam, dressed in waiter garb. He and Nathan must have been successful, as she watched her father make way through the crowd. Sam caught her eye, and gave her a subtle nod and a small grin of assurance before continuing on.

"You alright?" Nadine had ripped Grace's attention away.

"I'm alright. I thought I saw someone but...well, I didn't," Grace shrugged. "I forgot to put in my contacts tonight."

"I see," Nadine nodded, before a light bulb went off in her head. She turned to Sully. "Hey, when am I finally going to meet that partner of yours...Drake?"

"Well, that's ex-partner," Sully answered. "I've been flying solo for a while now. Drake's out."

"Oh. Like, 'dead' out?" Nadine asked. Grace's eyes widen at that.

"Oh, no. More like 'retired'," Sully clarified. "Last I heard, he settled down, got married."

 _And he's very happy with Aunt Elena,_ Grace thought as she watched Nadine sip her drink.

"Well, then he might as well be dead, right?"

Sully and Grace both turned to see a man behind him. He appeared to be around Nathan's age, average height with his brown hair gelled back. He also stood out among other guests, as his tux jacket was white. He appeared to be handsome but...Grace had a feeling that he was a bit unhinged by the way he laughed.

"Victor Sullivan! How the hell are you?" the man greeted.

"Rafe," Sully replied, putting his cigar in his mouth so he could shake the man's hand.

"How long has it been? Ten years? Twelve?"

 _Oh. This must be the man in Panama,_ Grace realized as she did the math in her head. Her father had filled her in some of the missing pieces for her earlier but Grace felt like this man's name was a distant memory.

"Fifteen," Sully corrected but the man named Rafe did not appear to notice as he checked Grace out. She refrained herself from squirming under his gaze.

"And who may you be?" Rafe asked her.

"Grace Morgan," Grace introduced herself, holding her hand out.

"Grace Morgan. Have we met before?" the man asked as he took her hand into his. His intense stare made her a bit anxious.

"I don't believe we have," Grace answered.

"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you. I'm Rafe Adler," Rafe introduced himself. "Don't tell me that you're here with this guy."

"I am," Grace answered. She glanced between Adler and Sully. "So, you two go way back, then?"

"Fifteen years," Sully nodded.

"It's amazing," Rafe added. "All these years gone by, here we are-we're still haggling over dead people's junk."

Rafe laughed. Grace rose an eyebrow, sharing a look with Sully.

"Really?" Sully asked, as he and Grace turned back to look at Rafe. "Aren't you running your parents' business?"

"My business now," Rafe answered, tone darkening before brightening up again. "But yes, that is my day job."

 _Interesting,_ Grace thought as she took a sip from her glass. She didn't know much about the man, after all. All she really knew was that her father was not a fan, and that her mother had never trusted him, either.

"That is one hell of a day job. You could probably afford to buy up everything on the block tonight," Sully pointed out, gesturing the entire room with his cigar.

"Well, sure...but what would be the point in that?" Rafe wondered aloud. He looked over to Grace, leaning in as if he were to tell her a secret. "These days I'm only looking for...the good stuff. Big scores."

Grace nodded along to his words, piquing interest in his words.

"Big ambitions," the young woman commented.

"You could say that," Rafe said, taking a step towards her and Sully. He looked back and forth between the two.

"Any advice on what I should pick tonight?"

 _Does he know? There's no way he knows. He doesn't even know who I am!_

Sully barked out a laugh, breaking the internal tension Grace was having.

"HA! Yeah, like I'd want to bid against him," the older man joked, looking at Nadine and Grace. Nadine and Grace both chuckled; both forced chuckles.

"But, um," Sully cleared his throat, "just between you and me...I did notice that they changed the order. I think somebody might be trying to rig this auction."

Grace's hand with her wine began to shake, as the forefinger of her freehand began to pick at her thumb. She didn't know how, but she knew Sully picked the wrong thing to say. She could tell by the way Rafe Adler seemingly paused.

"Hmm. Well, remember where we are. This crowd didn't get rich by playing fair," he reminded the group.

 _That's basically the entire first class summed up,_ Grace thought as retaliation. _That's you._

"Which is why you really need someone watching your back in a place like this," Nadine cooly added, moving to step beside the socialite.

Grace let out a silenced, "Oh." Rafe and Nadine were working on this together, similar to her and Sully.

"Well, I had to break it to ya...you are working for an American," Sully directed his response to Nadine.

"With," Nadine corrected. "We've partnered up on this one."

Grace was really hoping that her face was not betraying how she felt. She could already feel stress from this revelation already.

"I see," Sully conceded. "Talk about a power couple."

There was a brief tension between the group of four, as the auctioneer announced that bid for the cross was approaching. Both Sully and Grace knew it was time to go.

"Well, we know when an exit is needed," Sully broke the silence, as his arm looped around Grace's, who was relieved that they were finally leaving. "You two kids have fun tonight."

"Just hold on Sully," Rafe tugged Sully's free arm, effectively pulling the older man and by extension, Grace back to him. "How'd you find out about it?"

 _Oh, fuck. He knew. He fucking knew. He knew the whole time._

As much as Grace was internally panicking, she knew she had to keep a neutral face. _Remain calm_ , she reminded herself, as she stared down the wealthy socialite. She didn't dare to glance at Nadine.

"It? Now what 'it' is that, Rafe?" Sully questioned, playing the facade. "Nadine, I think your partner here has had too many Bloody Marys—"

Rafe knocked Sully's glass to the ground. Grace let out a gasp of shock as she watched the glass break and remaining scotch spilling to the ground. She was not the only one who reacted, however. She could hear gasps coming from all over the room.

"Cut the bullshit, old man," Rafe warned Sully. "Now I don't know how you and that girl scammed your way in here but if you think about bidding on Avery's cross, I can tell you exactly how you're going to be leaving. In a _god_ damn body bag—"

"Rafe!" Nadine cut him off, loud and clear. Grace couldn't let out a breath of relief, silently thanking the leader of Shoreline. Rafe's threat...Grace could see why her parents were not the biggest fan of this man.

Rafe listened to his partner, collecting himself. He chuckled, brushing off imaginary dust off of Sully's attire.

"Well, you get my point," Rafe finished, much more calmer. He glanced to Grace. "My apologies."

"Thank you," Grace nodded, a certain edge to her tone.

"Lovely seeing you both," Sully said their farewells and promptly took him and Grace away from the duo.

"Nate?" Sully whispered, just loud enough for Grace to hear him. "Nate?!"

There was still no answer from Nathan. Grace could only hope that he's concentrating on the task on hand and not in any sort of trouble.

"God damn it, kid. Where the hell are you?" Sully muttered.

"I'm sure he's okay," Grace did her best to assure the older man. She glanced around, but did not dare to look in the direction where Rafe and Nadine were. "I hope my dad didn't see that altercation, though."

Sully chuckled at the young girl's words, as they stop at one of the tables.

"Oh, kid, I wouldn't be surprised if he did. He tries to be discreet about it, but he's been trying to keep his eye on you as long as he can," the older man informed her.

"Why would he do that? Does he not trust you to keep me safe?" Grace wondered. Sully chucked again.

"Grace, he's never liked me and besides, you're his kid. He'd do anything for you," Sully told her. Despite Sam's character, Sully had to admit that the man held strong family values.

A small smile appeared on Grace's lips.

"Good to know."

* * *

 _"Sam? Sully? Grace? Are you there?"_

Grace let out a sigh of relief. After almost fifteen—perhaps twenty—minutes of first attempts at contact, Nathan had finally connected with them.

"God damn it, kid. Where the hell've you been?" Sully swore.

 _"I made it,"_ Nathan answered. _"Had a few close calls, but—"_

"You need to cut the power," Grace interrupted him curtly. "They're about to start the bid."

 _"Alright, well, I'm gonna need a minute before I can reach the panel,"_ Nathan explained. He sounded out of breath, and Grace couldn't help but wonder if he was alright.

"We don't have a minute, Rafe's about to walk out of here with your cross," Sully explained.

There was a pause. If she knew her uncle, then Grace knew that the clogs in his head were turning at this new information.

 _"Wait, what? Rafe? Rafe is here?"_ Nathan questioned in disbelief.

 _"Yes, Rafe is here and as of right now, he has the highest bid,"_ Sam finally joined in the conversation. Grace spotted her father in his position. He was right next to the stage. Despite the pressure she was currently under, she couldn't help but grin. She also couldn't help but think that at least one brother could get in position in time.

 _"Well, outbid him,"_ Nathan simply retorted.

"With what? I don't have that kind of scratch," Sully was dumbfounded by Nathan's idea.

"It's a good idea. We're stalling time," Grace pointed out. Despite being half-baked, her uncle's plan was not the worst idea he has come up with.

 _"Besides, we're stealing it. Remember?"_ Nathan reminded the old man, silently thanking his niece's defense.

Sully couldn't believe those two, conspiring against him.

"What if he calls my bluff?"

"He won't," Nathan and Grace assured him at the same time.

"He's too proud for that," Grace added, as she heard the bid was now at ninety-thousand.

 _"If we do not get this cross, I am as good as dead,"_ Sam hissed.

Grace looked up to Sully, eyes pleading. "C'mon, Sully! You can do it!"

"We'll all be dead if I end up with the highest bid!" Sully growled out. He will not let Grace's puppy eyes change his mind.

"Sully, I need you to buy me more time," Nathan pleaded. "Trust me."

Grace watched as Sully debated the idea. She could hear the auctioneer calling for any more bids.

"Going once…"

 _C'mon, Sully,_ Grace pleaded as she felt her heart pound wildly in her chest.

"Going twice…"

 _Should I do it?_

"Screw it," she heard Sully mumble, as he lifted up his bidding paddle high in the air.

"Bene! We have one hundred thousand euros in the room," the auctioneer announced. Grace almost cried in relief. Despite his grumpy exterior, Victor Sullivan always came through.

However, the bidding was not yet over. Rafe had lifted his bidding paddle once more, then Sully raised his. This was going to happen for some time,as they needed to buy time for Nathan.

 _"Hurry, Uncle Nate,"_ Grace pleaded.

"Don't worry. You'll be out of there in no time," Nathan promised.

 _We better be,_ Grace thought, as her eyes flickered between her father (who, when she caught his eye, gave her reassuring gestures), the auctioneer, and Rafe Adler. Like the other guests at the Rossi Estate, Grace was witnessing the battle between Sully and Rafe as they tried outbidding each other.

At one hundred and ninety euros, Nathan finally came back.

 _"Alright. I'm at the switch. You ready?"_

 _"As I'll ever be,"_ Sam confirmed. _"Sully? Grace?"_

"I'm in," Grace said.

"Just a sec," Sully informed, as he lifted his bidding paddle up once more.

"The gentleman's bid: two hundred thousand euros," the auctioneer announced.

"Five hundred thousand!" Rafe Adler declared, holding his bidding paddle high in the air. He ignored the various noises of surprise in the room. "Let's get this show on the road here."

"Uh...thank you," the auctioneer stammered. Not even she was prepared for Rafe's bold stake. "We have five hundred thousand euros in the room. Does the gentleman wish to bid again?"

All eyes were on Sully and Grace, as she stood next to him. All watched as Sully made move to raise his bidding paddle, before putting it down by his side. He gestured to Rafe, declaring defeat.

"Had me worried there for a minute, Victor. Thought I might have to kill you!" Rafe joked, having the room laugh with him. Grace knew that deep down, however, that Rafe's joke was a real threat. After all, he did threaten that Sully (and she) was going to leave in...what was it? Ah, yes. Bodybags.

"Let's ruin this asshole's evening," Sully said, indicating that he was ready for the plan to be set in motion.

"Anyone else?" the auctioneer questioned, scanning the room. "We are going once…"

Grace eyed Rafe.

"Going twice…"

They were ready.

"Then I shall sell it for five hundred thousand—"

Before the auctioneer could finish, the power went out.

It was time.


End file.
